This Is The Way The World Ends: Lulu
by Crazy-Dame13
Summary: Prequel to 'When The Night Falls'... See how it all began for Lulu and Dean.
1. The Day Had Begun

**A/N - Well, this is the very beginning of Lulu's story… It feels weird, but so comforting, to be back in this World again. I took a much needed break, collecting myself, and now I'm raring to go. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the first chapter of Addie's story out soon, but I'm not sure if I can carry them off simultaneously. **

**So, it's gonna be slow for the first few chapters, but it will get there eventually. I hope you'll bear with me, and be as devoted to this story as the other. And besides, y'all know how it's gonna end XD. I look forward to reading any reviews that may come through, but I'm not really expecting much just yet…**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOX**

I woke as a brand new day dawned.

The sun, fat and red, peaked over the horizon, spreading brilliant sparks of colour across the dusky sky as night and day embraced. Soft morning light leaked in through the window, giving life to the agile shadows that played lazily across the ugly peach-coloured walls of my shit-heap trailer.

Another day beginning.

Another day in the wasted ruins of a life I never imagined I would have to survive.

Sighing wearily, roughly rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I glanced across at my adorably tacky _Finding Nemo_ alarm clock, nestled on the nightstand amongst a mess of tattered books and porcelain Unicorn ornaments that I had been collecting for as long as I could remember.

**6:29**

One minute…

One meagre minute…

There was only one minute until the voice of Dory, painfully cheerful in the ungodly hour of the morning, rang through the room as she heralded the start of another day. A foreboding trill of optimism that would hurt like an ice-cold blade to my heart, forcing me to drag my sorry ass from the relative comfort of my bed and face another day in the miserable story of my life.

One minute that felt like forever, and never, at the same time.

And then…

"_Hey there, Mr Grumpy Gills_" the computer-generated voice of Dory shrilled loudly through the cramped confines of my bedroom. "_When life gets you down, you wanna know what you've gotta do?_"

Sighing, I tossed the thin bed sheet back, letting the humid morning air caress is sticky fingers across my pale, naked body while I struggled to summon up the energy to face this day.

Since my parents had been killed in a car accident, taken in the blink of an eye, I had been struggling to face the onslaught of my life, day in and day out. Struggling to be who I needed to be to see myself through this.

"Just keep swimming…" I murmured along with Dory, pushing my fingers through the tragic chaos of my fiery red curls as I reached out to switch the alarm off, flooding the room with blessed silence. "Just keep swimming…"

The day had begun, and whether I liked it or not, I had to play my part.

Easing out of the bed that offered my aching back no favours, I pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a _Snoopy_ tank top that hugged my curvy figure, shuffling through the mess of clothes and books strewn across the linoleum floor and stepping out into the hallway of my pitiful excuse for a home.

I loathed this trailer.

I hated it more than I had ever hated anything. It was small, and shitty, and stank of cat piss on hot days.

But, it was all we had.

I had lost our house not long after the funeral. Barely surviving on a waitress salary, I couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments and put food on the table at the same time.

It had taken only days for the bank to repossess the house we had grown up in, leaving us on the street with no idea where we would go.

Yawning, I lifted a hand and knocked firmly on the bedroom door of my little sister.

"Millie, time to get up" I called, stepping into the bathroom that was no bigger than a wardrobe. Standing in the centre, I could reach out and touch all four walls easily, without even having to strain.

It was depressing.

"Five more minutes, please" came her muffled reply. I would bet anything she had stayed up well past midnight, reading.

We both shared a love of good books.

"No more minutes" I laughed, splashing a handful of cold water on my face in an attempt to breathe some sort of life into me.

No matter how numb I was, how hopeless and defeated I felt, I had to stay strong…

For her.

Drying my face with a hand towel, I leaned against the stained basin and studied my tired reflexion in the rusted mirror of the medicine cabinet.

I looked the same as I always had, still blessed with the old-world beauty that had won me the crown of Preen County Pie Princess, but there was something in my eyes that made me look older than my twenty-one years.

In the space of a single night, when everything I had known and loved had been taken so cruelly from me, I had been forced to grow up faster than a girl my age should. With the simple, heartless act of a drunk driver, I had become a mother to the sister I loved more than anything else in the whole, wide World.

In that one night, I had lost the gentle spark of innocence that used to gleam in the depths of my cornflower blue eyes, instead becoming hard so I could face the trials and tribulations of life head-on.

Taking a hair-tie from the tap, I pulled my curls in a messy chignon, attempting to tame the wild curls that spilled down my shoulders, and failing. The bane of my existence, they framed my pale features perfectly in soft tendrils, and were the first thing people noticed when they met me.

I only wished they would do what I wanted when I wanted them to.

Humming to myself, I made my way to the other end of the trailer, where the kitchen and lounge room were squished together, pounding the palm of my hand against Millie's door as I walked by.

"Come on, lazy bones" I said, forming my words around the smile stretched across my lips. "You're gonna be late for school if you don't get your ass out of bed right now!"

"God!" she scowled, emerging from her room moments later, dressed in a Spongebob Square Pants nightie, her hair mussed around her elfish face in a frizzy halo. "Tyrant much?"

She was the most beautiful thing the World had ever created.

And she was mine. A part of me.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I laughed, opening the fridge and scanning the measly contents of the near-empty shelves.

We hadn't been grocery shopping in… In too long to remember.

"What've we got?"

"An apple, and…" I pulled out a non-descript plastic container, and sniffed the contents. "And some Chinese food way past due" Sighing, I dropped it in the trashcan, and closed the fridge door.

I sucked at being a grown-up.

"I'll make you something at the diner" I said as she came up behind me, brushing her teeth. "Some of those apple-cinnamon pancakes you like"

"Cool" she smiled, toothpaste foaming around her pouty lips.

"Shotgun first shower" I giggled, playfully pushing past her and racing into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

"Not fair" she groaned. "You always get first shower"

"You snooze, you lose" I laughed, stripping out of my clothes and dropping them into the overflowing basket of dirty laundry we had been ignoring for the last week.

I showered quickly, washing myself and brushing my teeth as fast as I could to save the limited hot water. Our tank was tiny, giving us only a few minutes worth of hot water, and I always tried to leave enough for Millie.

Afterwards, feeling slightly more alive as I dried myself off, I dressed in my uniform of a yellow button-down dress, complete with a crisp white half-apron, and a pair of white tennis shoes that were kind to my feet. It wasn't anywhere near as embarrassing as it should have been, despite the fact that it clashed horribly with the scarlet tresses I pinned back with a big, silver clip.

"Well, Lulu" I said to the reflexion that stared back at me from the mirror. "Maybe today will be the day that changes everything. Maybe today, something big will happen, and all your dreams'll come true"

But I knew that today would be like all the others before it.

I would survive it, as I had done so many times before, but nothing would change.

There would be nothing special about it.

Nothing at all…


	2. Welcome To Preen County, Georgia

**A/N …**

…

…

***Skulks slowly into the room, hands in pocket, head down***

**I'm…**

**I'm…**

***Falls to knees, sobbing and begging like a pathetic loser***

**I'M SO SORRY! I didn't mean to leave you all for oh so very long! Life has gotten nuts… My sister is pregnant, but her boyfriend is a jerk so I'm helping her out, and it's bloody tiring! I've had some health issues, but I seem to be better now. I honestly, truly, very, really, completely am so sorry. Time just got a way from me. Please be assured that I haven't forgotten about you all! Each and everyone of you mean so much to me, and I feel horrible that it's taken so long for me to get my act together.**

**Anyways, this chapter is a little different in that it's from Deans POV. It's something I had toyed with in the other story, but I could never fit it in without ruining the narrative of the story. It's in 3****rd**** person, which I haven't written for yonks, so it's a little rusty, and uneven, but I hope you like it. If the feedback is good, I might make it a regular occurrence.**

**Please, enjoy this little taste, and I promise that the next chapter won't take me another lifetime to complete. I'm going to birthing classes with my sister, but hopefully I can find some time in between all of that. I'll aim for next week…**

**Once more, with feeling, Blessed Be XOXOXOX**

Dean Winchester was hungry.

A low, ominous rumble, almost loud enough to rival the savage purr of his beloved black Impala, echoed from deep within his empty stomach. There was a throbbing ache clawing at his insides, a hollow feeling that felt like it could never be filled.

He wasn't sure, though, if that had anything to do with hunger, or if it was because of the fractured heart he had been nursing for months.

Looking across at the empty seat beside him, he felt the familiar stab of sadness at the thought of his brother. But there was also a spark of anger burning somewhere within the grief, and that scared him.

He didn't know where his baby brother was. He hadn't seen Sammy for what felt like a lifetime. Not since that God-awful fight, where he had said things he didn't mean, fuelled by the fear of losing his only family to a swirling void of darkness.

A darkness so deep and desolate that he knew Sammy would not be able to claw his way out of after he fell. And he would fall.

And, as much as it had hurt, as much as it had destroyed him to abandon his brother, Dean couldn't watch Sam's long, slow slide into the demonic embrace of his unnatural powers.

So he had told Sam to leave, and never come back, even though that wasn't what he wanted to say.

He would give anything to take those words back. Anything to see Sammy again, to know that he was safe.

Letting out a long, weary breath, he watched the thick, green scenery pass him by without really seeing any of it.

The trees tapered off suddenly, revealing a too large sign painted with too bright colours,

"Welcome to Preen County, Georgia" Dean read aloud from the sign, slowing the Impala down so that he could decipher the massive, swirling letters emblazoned above gaudy caricatures of a rosy-cheeked family. "Jeez, looks like freaking _Pleasantville_"

Pressing down on the gas, he smiled at the defiant roar of his baby, letting himself, for just a moment, forget everything that had been weighing down on him for all these months.

Sam.

Lucifer.

And the piece of shit monster killing young girls in this kitschy, one-horse town, the only reason he was here, on this desolate road, with an empty stomach and the beginnings of a blinding headache pulsing just behind his eyes.

The bleak life of a hunter went on, even though it felt as though the world around him had come to a jolting stop.

Over the next rise, the pleasant town of Preen County came into view.

Small, pastel coloured buildings and impossibly colourful flowers lined the main street, where happy-shiny people walked hand-in-hand as they went about their ordinary, carefree lives.

Several lifted their hands to wave at Dean as he slowly cruised by.

"Oh, this is not normal" he muttered.

His stomach gave a vicious snarl that he couldn't ignore any longer.

He needed food.

Angling the Impala into a vacant space in front of a grocery store, Dean cut the engine and stepped out into the pleasantly warm day.

The whole freaking town was kind of perfect, in a creepy way.

"Well, hello there, friend" a gruff voice greeted, with the warmth of someone who may have known him his whole life.

Dean looked up to see an elderly couple amble by, wearing matching straw hats, their gnarled hands entwined. They looked happier than anyone should be able to.

"Ah… Hello?" he said uncertainly. They reminded him a little of the pagan gods he and Sam had come across in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the Christmas before his deal with the Crossroads Demon expired and he was sent to the agonising depths of Hell itself.

Oh, what a fun life he had lived.

"Haven't seen your face around these parts before" the old man said, tipping his hat back to look Dean up and down. "You thinkin' of staying a while?"

"Just long enough to get a feed" Dean answered, feeling a little unsettled by their apparent friendliness, but finding it kind of refreshing at the same time. It had been a lonely few months.

"Head on over to _The Pie Hole_" the wife said, smiling wide enough to show each of her pearly white denture teeth. "They have the best pies in the country, I promise you that"

"I can never say no to pie" Dean smiled.

"Well, you have a pleasant day now, you hear" the old man said with a wink. And with that, they moved on.

"_The Pie Hole_" Dean smiled, shaking his head as he started down the strikingly clean sidewalk. "Sounds like a goddamn strip club"

He weaved his way through the midday crowd until he reached a sunny yellow building with a scroll-shaped signboard bolted to the roof that announced it as the famed _Pie Hole_.

A bell over the front door jingled as he stepped inside, instantly greeted by haze of delicious smells and a comfortable warmth that reminded him of what home should feel like.

He liked this place.

"Welcome to The Pie Hole" a cute, blonde waitress smiled as she breezed by, her tanned arms laden with plates of food that smelled so good his eyes seemed to water a little. "Have a seat, hon, and someone will be right with you to take your order"

Dean watched her walk away, admiring the gentle sway of her slender hips.

He liked this place a whole lot more.

Maybe he could get her number. She looked like someone he could stand to know a little better, over a drink, or in a hotel bed.

He found an empty booth by a full-length window overlooking the main street, and sat down.

Resting his head against the back of the seat, he closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the ambient noise of the people in the diner. The sound of them, living their lives in a way he could only imagine, was soothing, and he felt himself nodding off.

"Welcome to _The Pie Hole_" a soft, melodic voice said without warning, startling him. "What can I get you today?"

Opening his eyes, blinking through the weariness, he looked up at the waitress, suddenly unable to find his voice. His heart fluttered in a way he had never experienced before.

She was…

There were no words in the spoken language to describe just how amazingly beautiful she was.

Her delicate features, porcelain-pale and flawless, had an old world perfection that was hard to find these days. The eyes gazing at him were a striking blue colour, and could render him lost for hours on end. Her lips, full and pouty, were curled into a sweet smile that seemed forced, but natural.

And her hair. It framed her face in a stylish mess of red curls, glinting like fire in the glow of the overhead lights.

The name tab pinned to the collar of her uniform, a button-down dress that hugged a figure with sultry curves in all the right places, stated that her name was Lulu.

He had bedded more women than he could care to count, but never, not ever, had he felt the way he did now. It was entirely impossible, the feeling burning deep inside him, but he knew, without a doubt, what it was.

And, it didn't scare him, not one bit.

_So_, Dean Winchester thought to himself as he gazed up at the girl he knew would change his life, _This is what love at first sight feels like_.


	3. Lemon Meringue Pie

**A/N - Thank you for the reviews my ever loyal readers, it feels so freaking awesome to be hearing from you all again after such a long time. The updates will be coming through semi-regularly from here on in; life has calmed down just enough for me to steal and hour or two here and there to write. Seriously, though, there just ain't enough time in life to have a life, especially with a hormonal, pregnant sister, and a full-time job that just won't go away! ****J**** Anyway, please enjoy the newest update. Hopefully this story will be moving a little faster than the last one, and it definitely won't be as long. I know where it's going, so I should be able to plan it fairly easily. I look forward to hearing from all of you, so please feel free to drop a review or two to add a little sparkle to my life!**

**As ever, Blessed Be XOXOXOX**

He was staring at me.

With eyes so green they seemed to glow in the harsh light of this good-for-nothing pie diner, he was staring at me in a way that made me a little antsy. His gaze was deep, and brooding, and I wondered if I would lose myself in the emerald depths if I wasn't careful.

And, honestly, a part of me wouldn't mind it if I did.

He was gorgeous, in that irresistible, rugged way that made my heart beat a little faster.

A chiselled jaw, darkened with a five o'clock shadow that only added to his appeal. And when he smiled that Hollywood smile he knew made girls weak in the knees, he had a set of perfect, white teeth. The boy was perfection personified.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't so bad that he was staring at me. Hell, I was even starting to like it.

But, it was the lunchtime rush, and there were a hundred other hungry people who wanted to eat. As much as I would've liked to spend a little more time in his company, there was work to do.

"I don't have all day, Cowboy" I said, trying to not sound impatient while keeping up the ruse of my faux-pleasant smile. It was hard to be happy when you were wishing you could be anywhere but where you were.

"What do you recommend?" he drawled, a crooked smile spreading across his full, kissable lips.

I think he was flirting with me.

And despite my mood, I was enjoying it. It felt nice to be wanted.

"I don't eat pie" I smiled, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. It had been a busy morning, and my feet were killing me. I had been trying hard to not look at the clock above the counter all day, counting down to the blessed hour when I could be free of this sweet smelling hellhole. Millie and I were planning on going grocery shopping, and she had offered to cook dinner.

"You don't eat pie?" he laughed, lighting up his heartbreakingly handsome features. "You work in a pie diner, but you don't eat pie?"

"It's a personal choice" I said, fighting to keep my smile in place. This guy was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it, but there was a family in the next booth with two screaming toddlers that were trying to get my attention. Some days, I really hated my life. "Look, are you gonna order or not, Cowboy? I don't have time to tell you my life story"

He looked a little taken aback, but his smile didn't falter.

"I hear the lemon meringue is good" I said softly, feeling sorry that I'd snapped. This guy had done nothing but flatter me, and he didn't deserve to bear the brunt of my frustrations.

"I'll take a slice of that then" he grinned, his eyes suddenly darkening with what I could only imagine was lust. "And maybe your number. You sound like you could use a drink"

"Smooth" I laughed, momentarily forgetting the misery of my shitty life. "Sorry, but that's not included in the tip" Actually, a big part of me wanted to give him my number, and go out with him, even just for the night, but I had a sister to raise and any notion of having a love-life was out of the question. I hadn't had a date since senior year. But I didn't hold it against Millie. I loved her, and I was willing to sacrifice everything I had for her. She was my family. My life.

And compared to her, this guy was nobody.

"I can't even tempt you for one drink?" he smiled. "I'm a pretty nice guy when you get to know me"

Truth was, I knew guys like him. They only wanted one thing.

And that wasn't something I was ready to give.

"I'm sure you are, but I don't have the time to make nice with guys who breeze through town and only stop long enough for… Pie"

"If the pie's as good as I've been told" he said cryptically. "I'd be willing to stay a while longer"

My heart fluttered, and a pleasant rush of warmth flooded my belly.

It was blatantly obvious we weren't talking about pie.

"I'll be right back" I smiled to myself, turning away even as a blush spread across my pale cheeks. I walked across the busy diner, weaving through the crowd of customers desperate for a piece of our divine pies, and stepped into the kitchen where our resident pie chef, Nappy, was rolling out piecrust, singing along to the Willie Nelson song on the radio.

"_Pichouette_" he greeted with his husky Cajun accent, smiling to reveal a grin marred by missing teeth. "You gonna marry me?"

"In a heartbeat, Nappy" I laughed, moving across the kitchen to the large, glass-door chiller filled with the colourful and decadent creations of our Cajun culinary God. I pulled out an ornately decorated lemon meringue, and set it down on the mahogany-topped counter.

It was a work of art, a swirling masterpiece of creamy lemon filling, topped with fluffy white meringue the texture of clouds, all set in a sweet, crumbling crust that would, no doubt, melt in your mouth.

If I could even consider eating something made from animal products, my mouth would have been watering just at the sight of it.

Humming to the low, sultry song, I cut an extra large piece, compensation for my attitude, and slipped it onto a sparkling white plate.

"You been hearing 'bout da riots in da big city?" Nappy asked, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead, leaving a streak of flour behind.

"I make a point of not paying attention to the news" I said, putting the pie back into the chiller. "Just makes me feel worse than I already do"

"It sounds bad" he said gravely. "They say it must be a terrorist attack, and it be moving fast, like an infection"

"How can a riot be caused by an infection?" I scoffed. "And even if it reaches sunny, old Preen County, there isn't anyone here who has cause to riot"

Suddenly, the swinging door slammed open, knocking into the bench behind it, and a blonde waitress swept into the kitchen, her eyes wide, her features pale.

"Keely?" I asked, shocked at the state of her.

"Lu" she breathed, clutching her hand to her chest. For a split second, I expected her to gush about the handsome stranger sitting out in the diner, waiting for his lemon meringue. She was a bit of a free-wheeler, and, as a male with a heartbeat, he was definitely her type.

But the look of fear and worry in her eyes was enough to convince me this had nothing to do with her untamed hormones.

"Keely, what's wrong?"

"Millie's here" she said softly, gently, as though she was trying not to spook me.

"She's meant to be in school" I exclaimed. "If she's been suspended again…"

"Lu, she's hurt"

And with that, my heart stopped.


	4. The Shake Is On The House

**A/N - Thank you, my faithful reviewers for being so kind as to leave behind your ever-beautiful reviews. I'm glad you're liking the story as much as I'm enjoying being back in my favourite world, sorry it's taking so long to update. And thank you to everyone else who's reading it. Please feel free to leave a review to let me know what you think, or tell me what you'd like to see in future chapters, or beg on your knees to make a cameo **J** I'm doing this for each and everyone of you, and would love for you all to be a part of the process! So, enjoy this chapter, I was gonna jump right into the action, but I wanted to have some more fun and games between Dean and Lulu because it's so much fun to see them in their early days. Be sure to leave behind some words, be they kind or not, coz I'd love to hear from you!**

**As ever, and for always, Blessed Be XOXOXOX**

Millie was hurt.

My baby sister.

My family. My heart and soul.

After everything I had already been through, after everything I had already lost…

One thought raced endlessly through my frantic mind as I charged out of the kitchen and pushed my way through the pulsing crowd of the diner. Only one thought echoed inside my troubled mind, beating in time with the furious thump of my heart thundering painfully in my chest.

_No._

_No._

_No._

_I can't lose her…_

_I won't lose her…_

I had promised her, as we stood hand in hand in front of the gaping holes where our parents had been laid to rest, gazing down at the devastatingly expensive coffins through a flood of tears. I had promised that I would take care of her. That I would keep her safe.

I had promised her, and there was no chance in Hell that I was going to lose her now.

I couldn't lose her.

She was all I had.

"Please" I whispered to myself as I stumbled over an elderly gentleman's foot in my desperation to get to my sister, pleading with anyone, or anything, that might be listening. "Please, not her. Anyone but her"

I stopped in the middle of the diner as the crowd swelled around me, pulsing and vibrating like a single living thing. The sound of their inane chatter was deafening, and for a long moment, lost in the frightening depth of them, I couldn't breathe.

But then, like something from a Charlton Heston movie, the crowd parted before me and she was there.

My baby sister.

And other than a small bruise blossoming on her forehead, just below the hairline of her blush-coloured curls, there was nothing wrong with her. In fact, she was currently flirting with the shaggy haired blonde kid who worked at the Wal-Mart down the street, giggling and smiling and tracing her pink-tipped fingers along the edge of her collarbone.

"Millie?" I cried, my hands pressed to the gentle curve of my hips. I fought hard to keep the shrill from my voice, barely even noticing the curious stares of the people around me. "What the Hell you're doing here?"

"Hey, Louie" she smiled, not even having the decency to look guilty.

I strode across the scuffed floor of _The Pie Hole_, gritting my teeth, and stood over my sister. I could practically feel the steam exploding from my ears.

"Don't you dare 'hey, Louie' me" I hissed, leaning in close and keeping my voice low. "You're meant to be in school"

"I got hit with a dodge ball, so the nurse sent me home" she said sweetly, pointing to the insignificant battle wound.

"Don't lie to me" I said, casting a vicious glare at the pubescent dweeb who was trying to peek down Millie's top. He grunted something that I didn't quite understand, and scooted out of the booth to leave us alone. "The school would have called. Millie, what are you doing?"

"I just didn't want to be there today" she shrugged, playing anxiously playing with a paper napkin. "No biggie"

"Yes biggie" I sighed, sliding in to sit across from her. I reached out to take her hand in mine, but she pulled hers away. "We've had this talk before…"

"So let's not have it again" she sneered with a roll of her eyes. "I'm sick and tired of you telling me what to do"

"You know you can't do this, Mil" I said gently. "If you keep cutting classes, social services is going to think I can't take care of you, and they'll take you away"

She wouldn't look at me, but I could see the glint of a tear in the corner of her eye.

"I can't lose you, Millie" I whispered, fighting to control my own emotions. "You're all I have left in this Godforsaken World"

"I don't want to go back there right now" she said, looking up at me. There was something she wasn't telling me, but I knew she would when she was ready. "Please don't make me go back"

"OK" I smiled. "Just this once. But you have to earn your keep, and you know what that means"

"Dishes?" she groaned.

"Darn tooting, missy" I laughed, standing and pulling her to her feet. "Now get your butt moving" I playfully pushed her towards the kitchen.

"Hon" Norma, the grey-haired waitress who had been working at the _Hole_ since the dawn of the dinosaurs, said with a sly smile, nodding towards the handsome stranger who had been trying to score a date. "Mr Hollywood over there has not taken his eyes off you. I think you've got an admirer"

"Oh, crap" I groaned, racing into the kitchen. The slice of lemon meringue I had served up earlier had wilted until it resembled a mess of goo. I took the pie out of the chiller, and cut an extra large piece to make up for the delay. As an added bonus, I quickly whipped up an extra chocolaty, extra large milkshake, and hurried out the Mr Hollywoods booth.

He looked up with a dazzling smile as I set the plate and mammoth cup on the table before him.

"I'm sorry it took so long" I apologised, wiping my hands on my apron. "The shake is on the house"

"I think I can find it in me to forgive you" he said with a hungry glint in his eyes. This time, however, I had a feeling it was more towards the pie than me. "Only if you have a drink with me tonight"

"Persistent, aren't you" I laughed, shaking my head. I had to admit that his attraction to me was flattering, and as much as I would enjoy spending some more time with him, I knew I wouldn't go out with him. I wasn't what he wanted, he just didn't realise it yet. He wanted a hot-blooded woman who would show him a good time and leave him aching in the morning, not a small town girl who had never been past third base.

"I am" he said, the corner of his lips curling into a crooked smile. "When I know what I want"

The primal lust burning in the depths of his emerald eyes sent a pleasant shiver up the length of my spine, and I blushed.

"Look, Cowboy" I said softly, tucking a loose curl behind my ear. "That girl back there was my sister. Our folks died a while back, and since then I've had to take care of her. I'm all she's got, and she's my whole life. You're really sweet, but I'm not the girl you want"

He looked up at me, holding my gaze for a long moment.

"No, Princess" he started, his voice low and husky. "You're the girl who's gonna change my life"


	5. Pie Princess

**A/N - A thousand thankyous, readers and reviewers, it's an honour to have you all take the time to read this story. Well, it would appear that the end is nigh… End of the peace, not the story, that is! Don't worry, we still have a long, long journey ahead of us. Hmmm, makes me a little weary thinking about it, but that's probably more from the bone deep weariness of life. : ) So, please enjoy the new chapter, enjoy the last few moments of peace and quiet, and please oh please leave a review coz it makes me so bleeding happy to hear from you all!**

**Blessed Be, peeps! XOXOXOXOX**

As quickly as it had started, it was over.

Like someone had flicked a switch, as soon as the clock struck two the lunchtime rush dispersed, leaving behind only the two adorable old men regulars who liked to sit in a booth by the window and talk about the worries of the World over a steaming pot of tea.

And my persistent suitor, who wasn't content to take a lifetime of _no's_ for an answer.

Wiping down the checkered countertop, trying as hard as I could to ignore the sharp throb in my aching feet, I looked up and saw Mr Handsome himself ease himself onto one of the spinning stools, an easy smile gracing his rugged features.

I was really starting to wish that I had the moxie to say yes, to let myself have one night of unadulterated fun that I could regret later. It was hard not to find myself liking him more than I should.

"Another piece of pie?" I smiled, tucking the cloth into my apron and leaning back against the bench behind me.

In his almost desperate quest to persuade me to have a drink with him, the poor guy had eaten an entire pie, and downed enough milkshakes to sink a submarine. It was a wonder that he could still walk.

"I don't think I could eat another bite" he groaned, even as he eyed the freshly baked muffins cooling on the bench. "Are they… Are they chocolate chip?"

"They are" Laughing, I lifted one from the steaming pile and set it down on a napkin in front of him. The boy had an insatiable appetite, and I knew what the girls said about men with bottomless pits in place of their stomachs. Just the thought made me blush.

"Trying to sweeten up another rejection?" he asked around a mouthful of muffin.

"You don't want me, Cowboy" I sighed, crossing my arms across my chest. "I spend most of my time trying to figure out how I can afford to pay the rent on a shitty little trailer and put food on the table at the same time, not to mention how the Hell I'm going to keep my kid sister in a school she hates. You don't want a part of that. You want a girl with more experience… Someone who can give you what you want. And that isn't me. Do you see Keely over there?"

He turned to look at the perky blonde waitress as she flounced by, her sleek ponytail bouncing, her slender hips swaying seductively. She flashed him a flirty smile and bedroom eyes as she passed.

"You should ask her out. I've read in the ladies bathroom that she does all kinds of freaky stuff that guys like. Go out with her, and you'll have a good time, I promise you"

"Lulu" he said softly, holding my gaze with his deliciously emerald green eyes. "I don't want a good time with some random girl. I want you"

A pleasant tingle danced up the length of my spine, and I felt a sudden weakness in my knees.

"I don't even know your name" I murmured.

"Dean" he smiled, holding his hand out for me. "Dean Winchester"

Carefully, I slipped my hand into his, feeling the warmth and comfort as his fingers curled around mine. I couldn't deny the fiery spark that ignited along my flesh as we touched, or the emptiness that enveloped me when our hands parted.

"It's nice to meet you, Dean" I smiled.

A comfortable silence fell between us, and I was starting to think that maybe there was something between us. Or that maybe there could be.

If only I would give it a chance.

"If I ever have to look at another dirty plate, I swear, I am gonna freak" Millie sighed dramatically, climbing onto the stool beside Dean and spinning in a furious circle. She caught sight of the handsome stranger, and stopped. "Well, hello"

"Hi" Dean smiled good-naturedly.

My darling little sister gave me a pointed looked, and mouthed the word _yummy_.

And then, like all little sisters are good at doing, she decided to embarrass me.

"Louie's a real princess, did you know that?" Millie grinned, a playfully malicious glint in her eyes.

"Really?" Dean laughed, raising his eyebrows at me. "You're a princess, Princess?"

"It's not a big deal" I said, glaring at my sister, willing her not to keep talking. "It didn't mean anything"

"Oh, please" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. That was becoming a rather annoying habit of hers. "There was a ceremony, and a tiara, and everything. It was a _huge_ deal" She leaned forward, totally enjoying the discomfort she was putting me through. "The town had this beauty pageant thing, right. Completely over the top, but they do it every year, and everybody turns up for it. Anyway, I convinced Louie to enter 'cause, I mean, look at her, she's the biggest Betty this town's ever seen"

"She's a pretty big Betty" he smiled with a slight frown, clearly amused at my humiliation.

"And she won, of course. She totally beat that hussy Loretta McGinley, which was priceless. Seriously, she cried. It was awesome"

"Oh, little one" I sighed, burying my face in my hands. "You are gonna pay for this for the rest of your life"

Dean, however, was loving it.

"You, my friend" Millie smiled proudly. "Are looking at the Pie Princess of Preen County"

"Pie Princess?" Dean laughed. "I'm sorry, but you were the Pie Princess?"

"I still am, mister" I said, my hands on my hips. "OK, so it doesn't have the same respect as Miss Universe or anything, but I got to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the new Wal-Mart, and I had my picture printed on page three of the local newspaper"

"Did you promise to fight the good fight for World peace, and end World hunger?" he teased.

"And fix the huge pothole on Main Street" I smiled. "I was all about the community"

"A real life beauty queen" He was looking at me in a way that my whole body tingle.

I was close to giving in and accepting his offer for a drink after work. In all honesty, I wouldn't mind getting to know him a little better.

But before I could say anything, before I could even begin to think about what would happen if I said yes, a sudden blare of sirens screamed through the afternoon.

And then the screams started.


	6. My Knight In Shimmering Armour

**A/N - Thank you, my blessed readers and graceful reviewers, I love knowing that y'all are behind me as I navigate the rocky adventures ahead of me. I know it's gonna be big, and I know it's gonna be hard (That's what she said! Hehehe), but it makes it all so very much easier knowing that all of you are following me and supporting me. I am eternally grateful for your support, and it makes me so very, very happy when some of you leave behind your words, so please feel free to comment, or complain… Which ever you deem worthy! I've taken some creative liberties with the Croatoan virus, just to help with the pace of the story. I hope it doesn't ruin it for all of you. This chapter is a bit longer than the others, only coz I wanted to move it forward a bit quicker than it was progressing.**

**As ever and always, Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

Hell reigned in sleepy Preen County.

I stood with my fingers pressed to the thick, cold glass of the diner's front window, watching the madness and destruction that raged outside. A battlefield had broken out on Main Street, a war zone of apocalyptic proportions, but even though I was seeing it with my own eyes, it didn't feel real.

It was almost as though I was watching the devastation of my small, country town unfurl on television. A slow motion picture show of the World falling apart around me.

And not even the King's men, or his horses, would be able to put it back together again.

It was bad.

It was oh so horribly bad.

Cars swerved madly across the pot-holed road, dodging the writhing mass of bloodied people swarming the street like rabid animals. Horns blared, and frightened people screamed, and chaos conquered the once peaceful hamlet that had been my home since the first breath filled my newborn lungs.

It was a madhouse. A riot, but not like any I had seen on the six o'clock news.

The rabid horde that attacked the defenceless crowd of desperate bystanders, ragged and filthy people wielding sharp weapons they used to hack apart their victims, didn't look human. There was something feral gleaming in their wild eyes, something primitive and brutal as they attacked the townsfolk, cutting them open and wearing their blood like war paint.

Something was wrong.

So very, very wrong.

"What… What's happening?" I breathed, my heart thudding so furiously in my chest that I could feel the staccato beat against my ribcage. My empty stomach quivered, a rolling wave of nausea washing over me and threatening to pull me under.

"Something bad" Dean said from beside me, his voice low and hostile.

I could feel him standing there, so close to me that the warmth of him radiated against my pale flesh. I shivered slightly, briefly forgetting about what was happening outside.

"Louie, what's going on out there?" Millie called, coming up behind us and pressing herself to me as she tried to peer outside.

"Get out the back" I said firmly, pushing her away. She did not need to see this. After everything she had already been through, she did not need this to haunt her dreams as well.

"But, Louie…" she whined, her slender fingers clutching my arm.

I turned to give her a harsh, pointed look. One she knew all too well.

"NOW!"

"You never let me have any fun" she muttered, scuffing her feet as she made her way back to the relative safety of the kitchen.

I heard the door swing open with a loud 'bang', and was relieved that she was safe.

Or as safe as she could be, depending on whatever was happening outside.

"It's dem riots" Nappy growled, thick brown grease dripping from the spatula clutched in his gnarled hand as he stood in the middle of the dinner, a shadow of dread clouding his ravaged features. "I told ya dey were comin'. Dey're here. It's the end of the bleedin' World"

The crowd pulsed like a single living thing. If possible, it seemed to have grown in size. In only moments, the number of monstrous people had doubled.

Maybe tripled.

It wasn't just a riot. It couldn't be. There was something off about it.

Something terrible.

"Look" I called brightly, smiling as I saw the familiar flash of khaki uniforms amongst the madness. "The bobbies are here. Everything will be alright. You'll see…"

But my insides ran achingly cold as I watched several members of the Preen County Sheriff's Department, men who spent their days rescuing Mrs Tucker's cat from various trees in the neighbourhood, and hosting fundraisers for the children's hospital, drag a young mother and her small son to the ground, slashing at them with broken bottles.

"Oh god" I cried, burying my face in Dean's shoulder so I didn't have to watch the horror unfolding before me. He wrapped an arm around me, and the reassuring comfort that flooded me was overwhelming. Despite everything, I felt safe with him beside me.

Why did today have to get so screwed up?

It was meant to be like all the other days I had suffered before. It was meant to be boring and predictable, an ordinary day with nothing remarkable about it.

It wasn't meant to be like this.

People weren't meant to attack other people like bloodthirsty animals. Stupid riots weren't meant to sweep across the nation.

And I wasn't meant to be falling for a drifter I barely knew.

"I've seen this before" Dean said suddenly, a desperate frustration in his husky voice.

I felt him tense, and pulled away, gazing up at him.

"You have?"

The look of fear glinting in his emerald eyes, the shadow of doubt clouding his achingly handsome features, frightened me.

This was bad.

The sharp squeal of tyres roared through the growing mess of destruction, and as though emerging from an ominous cloud, a big red car was coming straight for us. The driver, a dark skinned woman, was too busy struggling with her insane passenger to realise that she had gone wildly off course.

As the car hit the window, bursting through it with a tremendous explosion, Dean shielded my body with his own, forcing me roughly to the floor as shards of glass rained down around us like glinting specks of snow.

The car came to a jolting stop barely inches from where we lay, the engine roaring loudly in the desolate quiet of the diner.

"You OK?" Dean asked, his voice thick with concern as he looked down at me, brow furrowed. Supporting his weight over me, he gently brushed chunks of glass from my curls.

"There's a car in the diner" I said stupidly, but at that moment, it was the most coherent thought I could form.

"Yeah, I noticed" he laughed, his face so close to mine that I could feel his breath against my cheeks. He smelled like pie.

Climbing to his feet, wincing slightly, he reached down to help me stand, tenderly holding my face in his hands as he looked for any signs of serious damage.

"Looks fine to me" he said softly, and for a moment, I thought he might kiss me.

And despite the impending doom of the entire human race, a part of me wanted him to.

A part of would have liked to know what it felt like to have his perfect lips pressed to my own.

But that was when the shit well and truly hit the Goddamned fan.

The crazed attackers, drawn to our presence by the none too subtle arrival of the hulking SUV, came at us like moths to a flame. With inhuman screams, high-pitched wails that grated my nerves like nails along a chalkboard, several of them sprinted through the debris scattered across the street and clawed their way through the broken glass.

They wanted us.

There was some kind of bloodlust burning within them, giving them the urge to hurt. To torture, maim, and kill.

"Get back" Dean yelled, turning to face the crazed people, moving to stand between them and me.

He was playing the hero. Saving the damsel in distress.

If we lived through this, and if the World didn't end, I would definitely have a drink with him. And if he played his cards right, I might have two.

The people inside the diner scattered as the bloodthirsty fiends ran rampant. I heard the screams and the fear, but I could not move.

I was so scared I could barely see straight.

One of the crazies, a heavyset farmer with a tattered straw hat still wedged on the top of his balding head, headed straight for Dean, hefting a bloody tyre iron in his beefy hand.

"Dean, look out" I screamed, reaching out to pull him away from the imminent danger.

Instead, he stepped forward and felled the monstrous man with a single blow to the head. Reaching to pluck the tyre iron from the man's hand, he brought the curved end down on his head with a sickening blow that sent a spurt of blood across the floor.

The man was still. Deathly still.

I looked at Dean, uncomfortably disgusted by his brazen act of violence. My heart faltered, and I suddenly didn't know who to be more afraid of.

"Who are you?" I whispered, taking a step away from him.

"Lulu, I…" he started. A single drop of blood stained his cheek.

A scream sounded from behind me.

I spun around, finding myself face to face with young woman whose tanned complexion was streaked with dried and fresh blood, a jagged wound cutting her good looks in half from brow to pouty lips.

The hunting knife clutched loosely in her hands glinted playfully in the light, and I knew this was the part where I died.

It was so unfair.

The woman screamed, arching her back with the ferociousness of it, and lunged at me with murder gleaming darkly in her eyes.

And then Dean was there, the gallant white knight, stepping in front of me. Saving me when no one else could.

The woman plunged the knife deep into Dean's shoulder, burying it to the hilt. He cried out, falling to his knees as blood streamed freely down the front of his flannel shirt.

"DEAN!" I screamed, watching helplessly as the woman pulled the knife free and turned her murderous attentions back to me.

She snarled viciously, striking out with the bloodied blade as I stumbled backwards, struggling to keep from dying.

Then I heard Millie's voice, and the World fell away from beneath me.

No. Please, no.

"Louie, what the Hell…"

Something in the woman's eyes changed, and I could almost see her ears perk up at the sound of Millie's honey sweet voice.

"No" I whispered, my heart tripping over itself. "No, please don't…"

The raggedy woman turned, barking a half-snarl, half-laugh, and ran at my baby sister.

I raced desperately after her, my feet slipping in blood I worried was Dean's, but I knew I would be too late. I knew I would lose her.

Millie screamed.

I screamed.

There was nothing I could do.

"NO!" I cried.

Helplessly, I watched as the woman slashed the knife across Millie's chest, splitting her nubile flesh open like ripe fruit. She stared at me, her lips curling around my name as blood spilled from the gaping wound, staining her pale complexion.

The woman pressed her bloodied hand to the gushing wound, holding it there for what felt like a lifetime, then pushed Millie to the ground. What ever she had wanted, she had it now.

With a strength I didn't realise I possessed, I lifted a heavy chrome stool over my head and brought it down heavily across the woman's back.

She fell forward, landing awkwardly against the counter. Groaning, she tried to crawl away, leaving a streak of blood across the linoleum.

I didn't think. I acted on instinct alone. I hit her with the chair again. And again.

Over and over, screaming and crying, until she stopped moving.

"Oh, God" I moaned, letting the stool fall to the ground with a deafening clang. Was she dead? Had I killed her?

Did I even care?

"Millie?" I whispered, falling to my knees beside my sister, holding her delicate face in my hands. "Millie, baby, can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes.

Eyes so like my own. But I didn't recognise them.

She wasn't my sister anymore.

She was one of _them_.

It, whatever the Hell it was, was in the blood.

It was spreading so fast because it was in the blood.

"Oh, Millie" I breathed, a warm flood of tears coursing down my cheeks. "I'm sorry. Oh, Mil, I'm so sorry…" I had failed her. I had promised that I would protect her, keep her safe. And I had failed.

She growled, a savage growl, rising slowly to her feet, a predator ready to hunt. To kill.

"Baby, please" I sobbed, realising that I had lost my sister. She was gone. The one person in all the World that I had loved, more than life itself, and she was gone.

In her place was a feral creature, a vile monster that had taken over the beautiful and fragile body of my beloved sister.

And she wanted to hurt me. To kill me.

I backed away from her, my body trembling, my heart aching.

She reached out and picked up a pearly white plate, smashing it over the counter until all the remained in her hand was a thick shard of porcelain. She gripped it so tightly blood leaked from between her fingers.

"Millie, honey, it's me" I pleaded with her, hoping I could reach some part of her that was still my baby sister. "Sweetie, it's me, you don't want to do this. Please…"

But she couldn't hear me. She didn't know who I was. She didn't care.

I didn't realise I had reached for a knife until I felt the weight of it in my hand. I looked down at it, revolted at the sight of gaudy pink icing smeared across the blade.

Without even knowing it, I had already decided what I needed to do.

And I hated myself for it.

Millie snarled, her glossy lips pulling back from her neat white teeth, and there was absolutely nothing of the girl I had loved behind those angry blue eyes.

She threw herself at me, intent on my demise, and the blade pierced her bony chest with little resistance, slipping effortlessly between her ribs until it reached her heart.

A spark of surprise glowed briefly in her eyes, and with nothing more than a breathless gasp, she fell lifelessly to the floor.

The knife was still in my hand.

And she was dead.

Millie was dead.

I had killed my own sister.

A sob shook my body, followed by another. And then I was crying, quaking sobs that felt like they would tear me apart. I let the knife fall from my trembling fingers, wincing at the bright spots of blood that splattered across my shoes.

Millie's blood.

The very blood that coursed through my own veins.

"Oh, Millie…" I sobbed, staring down at the pale, inert form of my sister sprawled across the scuffed black and white linoleum. A river of blood pooled around my feet.

She was dead.

I felt hollow, like a part of me had died with her.

I had sworn to keep her safe in this dark and dangerous World, and instead, I had killed her.

"Oh, God" I hiccupped, bending over and retching a stomach full of acid across my feet.

I had killed her.

And now I wanted to die.

A low and vicious snarl made me look up.

One of them, one of the _infected_, stood in the shattered remains of the front window, bloodied and ragged and desperate with blood lust. He saw me. He wanted me.

He would kill me, and I honestly didn't even care.

Without Millie, I had nothing left in the World to live for.

If he wanted me, he could have me.

He screamed, an animalistic bellow, and ran at me, the wooden plank clutched in his hands trailing blood behind him.

I closed my eyes, and waited.

I hoped it would be quick.

A sharp explosion rang out through the destruction, echoing horribly inside the remains of the diner, and the infected man dropped in a tumble of arms and legs.

I looked across at Dean, standing in the doorway with a smoking gun at his side.

"Not today, Princess" Dean said, striding across to where I stood and lifting me easily into his arms.

He saved me when I had been so willing to give up, carrying me away from a life I had taken for granted.

My Knight in Shimmering Armour.


	7. Things That Go Bump In The Night

**A/N - Hey, howdy, hey, my beloved fans. It's awesomely awesome to hear from you. Thank you to all and sundry who have read, and/or reviewed the last chapter. It was a little sad to write, but I knew I'd have to do it eventually. And I'm actually relieved that it's out of the way so I don't have to keep thinking about killing off a poor, innocent girl : ( Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the new chapter. Not a lot of action, but it's coming… Of course! Who would I be if I didn't torture our favour hero and heroine? So please, wipe your feet before you enter, and leave behind a review if you feel the sudden to desire to tell me how wickedly awesome I am… HEHEHE! Just kidding… Maybe… ?**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

Blood.

There was blood on my hands. It had dried dark along the lengths of my fingers and underneath my nails. It was splashed across my uniform, garishly stark against the cheery yellow dress I had never really liked. It had stained my shoes pink. It was in my hair, and running down my legs.

There was so much of it.

Millie's blood.

Dean's blood.

So much blood, and not a drop of it was my own.

I could smell it, the rich, coppery stench of it filling my senses so that it was all I knew. I could feel it, seeping into my flesh, right to the core of me until it felt like I would never be clean again.

Blood.

So much blood.

Millie's blood.

"She's dead" I whispered, staring down at my hands. My bloody hands. The same hands that had killed my beautiful little sister. The same hands that had plunged the knife into her innocent heart, draining the life from her gleaming blue eyes.

I had killed her. I had stolen the life from her.

I looked outside, at the hellish World passing by in a hectic blur, wanting to not be thinking of what I had done. Wanting to not be thinking about her.

We were in Dean's car, an imposing black beast that roared like a nightmare come to life, and I had no idea where we were headed. I had no idea if we would be safe… If we could be safe. The road had gotten quiet a few miles back, but I knew _they_ were still out there, infecting others. Killing others.

Would it ever end?

I pressed my fingers to the window, saying a silent goodbye to the life I had known. I had a feeling nothing would be the same ever again.

_This is the way the World ends_, I thought to myself.

And the end had started with Millie.

"Oh, God, she's really dead" A sob escaped my lips, and the flood of tears was warm against my cheeks. "I killed her"

A low, keening wail filled the inside of the car, and took a moment for me to realise it was coming from me. It sounded like a wounded animal.

"I'm sorry, Lulu" Dean said softly, reaching out to slip his hand into mine. Even with all the blood, even with all the sadness, our two hands fit together perfectly. Almost as though made for each other. "I really am. But what you killed, it wasn't you sister. It wasn't Millie"

I was grateful that he had said it, but I knew it wasn't true. Something may have infected her, taken over her spirit, her soul, but it was still my sister.

It was still Millie who had looked at me with surprise as I slid the knife between her ribs.

It was still her blood on my hands.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking across at him. He looked a little pale, and I worried he was losing too much blood. "What the Hell is going on out there, Dean? What are they? What do they want?"

"It's, uh…" He let out a long breath, grimacing. "It's a little complicated, and I'm having a little issue with bleeding to death right now, so I think we should find a place to hole up long enough to glue me back together"

I leaned across the smooth, black bench seat to look at the wound splitting open his left shoulder. It was deep, and still bleeding through his already sopping wet shirt. I didn't think it was life threatening, but it wouldn't do him any good to keep bleeding.

"Why did you do that?" I breathed, feeling a cold stab of guilt pierce my insides. He barely knew me, but he had risked his life for mine.

"Do what?" he asked.

"You took a knife for me. Why?"

"I really wanted to have a drink with you, so I was hoping that my act of heroism would guilt you into saying yes" he joked. "Did it work?"

Despite everything, I smiled.

"Can't see it happening anytime soon, Cowboy"

"I'd like to think I still have a chance"

I glanced across at him, struggling with the conflicting emotions waging war inside me. I was devastated, heartbroken at the loss of my baby sister, but there was a spark of something trying to ignite itself amongst the darkness.

It was attraction, definitely. Love, maybe.

But I knew there was something between us. I knew we'd be important in each other's lives.

First, we had to make it through the rest of the day.

"We need to get you stitched up" I said softly, wincing at the blood pooling down his broad chest.

"You know of somewhere safe?" he asked hopefully.

I gazed out the window, my brow furrowed as I tried to get my bearings. I knew this town like the back of my hand. I could make my way home with my eyes closed.

"Our trailer…" I started, but stopped as the realisation hit me like a kick in the guts. Clearing my throat before the tears could overwhelm me, I tried again, forcing myself not to think about how empty our home would be without Millie. "My trailer is a few miles from here. Turn left just up ahead and follow it all the way to the end"

The tree line grew thicker the further we got from town, winding our way into the rural countryside where I had lived with Millie. An hour from town, but pleasantly peaceful.

I only hoped it was still peaceful, even with the end of the World.

"Is it secure?" he asked, pressing down on the gas and pushing the speedo to near dangerous levels.

"It's secluded" I said. "Our… My only neighbours are a creepy cat lady, and an elderly couple I never see during the day. It's far enough away from town that the infection might not have made it out there yet"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, his rugged features clouded with concentration.

"We just need somewhere to stop for an hour or so" he said, more to himself than me. "Get me fixed up, then I'll figure out what to do next" He grunted in pain, and I wondered how he could be strong enough to keep going in the face of so much despair.

I had to know what was happening.

"Tell me what's going on" I said, shifting in the seat to look at him. "Please"

"Lulu, I don't…" He looked uncomfortable, and I was morbidly curious to know what he was keeping from me.

"Dean, I've seen things today that no person should ever have to see. I've done things that are gonna give me nightmares for as long as I live. I deserve to know what the Hell is going on"

"You're stubborn, you know that?" he grinned, his eyes glinting as he looked at him. Off my pointed look, he sighed, and said something that talk me completely off-guard. "It's a demonic virus"

A sharp bark of laughter forced its way through me before I could stop it.

"You're kidding, right?" I giggled. I couldn't help myself. It was too ridiculous to comprehend.

The fierceness of his gaze silenced me.

"Demons, vampires, ghosts, witches… All the things that go bump in the night, all they things from your very worst nightmares? They're all real"

"Oh" I suddenly didn't know if I wanted to scream, or cry.

I glanced across at Dean, trying not to let him see how much I was trembling.

"So what does that make you?"

"Me, Princess?" The corner of his lips curled into a smile. "I'm Batman"


	8. Home

**A/N - I am writing this under duress! One of my ever-loving fans has threatened me with severe bodily harm if I didn't get off my butt and update. Just kidding! About the duress, not the threat! HEHEHE! Thank you to all who read and reviewed the last chapter, it's awesome to know you're all along for the ride. So, anyway, I hope you like this filler, the action is coming, I promise, I just wanted to give our two heroes a chance to fall in lurve… Enjoy, my awesome fans, and keep the reviews, and threats, coming!**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

Home.

This trailer, this rusted clapboard, revoltingly discoloured piece of crap box, had been our home when ours was taken away from us. It was small, and falling to pieces, and stank of mildew whenever it rained. I hated the cracked walls, and the scuffed floors, and the windows that only opened once in a blue moon. It was depressing, and dank, and at times it seemed as though it was sucking the very life out of me.

It was Hell on earth.

But it was home.

Our home.

It had been our haven, a safe place from a World that had dealt us nothing but pain and heartache. It had been a roof over our heads when we'd been left with nothing.

And now it meant nothing.

I stood at the foot of the three sagging and stained wooden steps, the same steps I had climbed every day before this one, but this time, I just couldn't.

I couldn't go inside.

There were so many memories, and going inside when I knew Millie would never be coming home was too hard. I looked at the door, and thought about the void of memories swirling about inside.

Nights spent curled together on the shitty little sofa, crying over photo albums showing our family when it was whole and happy. Watching God-awful romantic comedies and gorging ourselves on deliciously bad junk foods that left us with tummy aches the next day. The fun we used to have making Sunday morning pancakes and dancing to obscure songs on the radio that only picked up a foreign station.

I hated this trailer more than anything, I loathed it with every fibre of my being, but it had been our home.

"You OK, Princess?" Dean asked gently, coming up behind me and pressing his hand to the small of my back. His touch was comforting, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms.

He made me feel safe. Something I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Is it still a home if I have no family?" I murmured. There was a hollow feeling inside me, a gnawing ache that hurt like a gaping wound.

"I don't know" he answered sadly, slipping his hand into mine, our fingers entwined. He looked down at me with eyes that melted my heart, and gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze.

I knew then that I would follow him anywhere. Anywhere he asked of me, I would be by his side.

We walked up the steps, which creaked wearily under our weight, and through the front door.

It may have been my imagination, but I could still smell the lingering scent of Millie. The sugary sweet aroma of her Wal-Mart perfume.

A part of her was still here.

I looked around at the sparse furniture, bits and pieces we had found at lawn sales, and none of it looked familiar. The sofa, the table, the odd collection of posters and photos glued to the wall.

This wasn't my home anymore. Without Millie, this wasn't home.

"We can't stay here" I said as Dean limped across to the embarrassingly floral sofa and sat down with a pained grunt. "It's not safe"

"I know" he nodded, leaning his head back against the pillows and closing his eyes. "We just need to stay here long enough to stitch me up and figure out what to do next"

"What are we going to do?" I asked, walking to the sink and turning on the tap. I held my hands under the weak flow of water, washing away the blood dried black. I watched numbly as it swirled hypnotically before disappearing down the drain.

It was gone.

She was gone.

And the World would never be the same again.

"I have no idea" Dean sighed, running his hands roughly across his face.

Drying my hands on a dishtowel, I sat down beside him, studying the rugged planes of his heartbreakingly beautiful face. He was so gorgeous it seemed almost inhuman, and just looking at him stole the breath from my lungs.

I glanced down at the bloody tatters of his shirt.

"I think the bleeding has stopped"

Opening his eyes, he looked at me, and for a moment, I almost lost myself in their emerald depths. How could I be falling in love with someone I had only just met, while the World came tumbling down around us?

But like my Grams used to say; when it happens, there ain't nothing can stop it.

"You got a needle and thread?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so" I walked back to the small kitchenette and rummaged through the drawers until I found a spool of pink thread from when Millie and I had made her a Princess gown for a Halloween party. She had looked so beautiful in the flowing pink dress, her cherubic face framed but scarlet curls. That was the night I'd realised she had grown into a woman.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Will this do?"

"It's pink" he grimaced.

"Does it really matter what colour it is?" I smiled, pulling the small needle free and gently pressing my finger to the pointed tip. It was sharp, but I didn't know how well it would handle stitching human flesh.

"I'd rather use duct tape than pink thread" he grumbled, his lips pursing in an adorable scowl.

"Shit outta luck, Cowboy" I said, sitting back down and deftly threading the needle. "This is all I have"

Muttering something under his breath, he pulled his shirt off and leaned back against the pillows, wearing only his jeans and a river of dried blood. There was an odd symbol tattooed on his chest, over his heart, and I wondered what it meant. Probably something supernatural.

"This is… Uh…" I mumbled, suddenly flustered. He was so close, and so almost naked, and I could barely concentrate on what I was doing. "This is probably gonna hurt"

"I've had worse, trust me" he laughed, arrogantly comfortable with his state of undress and my closeness. "I spent forty years in Hell. Compared to that, this is a walk in the park"

"Hell?" I frowned. "As in, _Hell_ Hell?"

"Long story" he smiled.

"One I bet I don't wanna hear" I sighed, pressing my fingers to the inviting warmth of his broad chest. I was trying so very hard not to imagine what it would feel like to have him pressed against me, to feel the way our bodies joined together.

He flinched.

"I'm sorry" I gasped, pulling away, afraid that I had hurt him.

"Cold hands" he grinned.

"Sorry" I smiled, trying again. Taking a deep breath, and biting my lower lip, I pierced the needle through the edges of the wound, stitching Dean together as though he was a piece of fabric. A warm, fleshy, impossibly gorgeous piece of fabric.

When I was done, I tied off the ends, and sat back. My hands were shaking a little.

"You did good" Dean said, inspecting my work. "You did real good, Princess"

I looked at the freshly sutured wound, with its gaudy pink thread, and I couldn't help but notice how sculpted his stomach was, how the daylight played across his muscles.

Impure thoughts raced through my mind, and I felt a hot flush spread through me, leaving me light-headed.

"I… I…" I breathed, standing up so fast I almost tripped over the coffee table. My sister was dead, and the World was dying, and I was thinking about what if would feel like to have his lips trace patterns down the length of my body.

I was horrified with myself.

"Are you alright?" Dean frowned, making no move to pull his shirt back on.

"I should get cleaned up" I muttered, turning away and retreating to the dark confines of the bathroom before he could say anything.

I leaned back against the door, and took a deep, shaky breath. Today was turning into a Hell of a fucked up day.

Looking down at my blood spattered uniform, I shivered. There was so much blood.

I stripped, tossing the ruined clothes into to the corner. It was somewhat satisfying to know that I wouldn't have to wear the horrid yellow dress ever again.

Turning on the shower, letting it run until it was as hot as I could stand, I stepped under the steaming cascade and scrubbed myself raw. I washed the blood from my pale flesh, scrubbing my hair and brushing my teeth.

I stepped out a short time later feeling refreshed and clean.

I felt almost normal.

Wrapping a fluffy white towel around myself, I squeezed the water from my hair, and stood in front of the mirror.

The reflection looking back at me was me. I looked the same as I always had, but there was something in my eyes that I didn't recognise. A hardness that wasn't there before.

I had changed.

I had killed.

Sighing, I leaned against the counter, feeling so tired that I almost couldn't stand it. Barely an hour had passed since the World went to shit, but it had felt like an eternity.

And I was so tired.

My fingers brushed against something small, and it fell to the floor. I looked down, and my heart stumbled over itself.

Lip-gloss.

Pink lips gloss.

The same lip-gloss Millie had been wearing.

I reached down and picked it up, running the tip of my finger over the word 'Strawberry Kisses'. It was her favourite. She wore it every day.

But not anymore.

She was gone.

She was really gone.

The stark reality of the horrors I had faced, of what I had done, hit me like a freight train, and I did the only thing I could think to do. I let myself fall apart.

The tears came hard and fast as I cried, deep, wracking sobs that left me fighting for breath. I fell to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest as I split at the seams and lost myself in a flood of grief. I could feel it, the gnashing maw of despair waiting to swallow me whole, and I was ready to give in. I was ready to let it take me over.

And then Dean was there. Like he had been before, like I knew he always would be, forever and always.

He sat down beside me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight against himself to keep me from falling to pieces. He held me together when I didn't have the strength to.

My Hero.

We stayed there, curled together on the floor, for what felt like a lifetime, and I cried until I could cry no more. Until there were no more tears to spill.

Gaining some control of my emotions, I pulled away from Dean, my hands on his chest as I looked up at him.

"I'm sorry" I hiccupped.

"Don't ever be sorry" he said softly, brushing wet curls from my face. There was a playful glint in his eyes, and again, I thought he might kiss me. If he did, I would let him. "Especially when it means I get to hold you when you're all wet and half naked"

And even though my sister was dead, even though the World had gone insane and we probably wouldn't survive, I laughed.


	9. Goodbye

**A/N - Greetings, fans! Much love for the readers and reviewers. Glad you liked the last chapter, here's hoping you'll like this one. And seeing as I can think of nothing else to say because it's very late, and I'm very tired, I'll let you get on with it.**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

"Are they zombies?"

Sprawled on the sofa, looking amazingly at ease with his feet propped on the coffee table as he flicked through the monotone emergency messages currently broadcasting across every TV station, Dean looked up at me with an amused expression etched across his ruggedly handsome features.

"Zombies?" he smiled. He was wearing his bloodstained shirt again, but I would never forget what his body looked like, or how it felt against mine.

"Yeah" I shrugged, pulling my hair into a messy chignon. I was clean, dry, and dressed in white cut off shorts and a blue flannel shirt. I was beginning to feel like my old self again. I was holding myself together. "You know, undead-brainless-flesh-eating zombies" I held my hands up like claws. "Grrr"

"Like from the Romero flicks?" he laughed.

"Is that what they are?" I walked across to the sofa and sat facing him with my legs tucked beneath me, admiring the smooth angles of his face and the way his eyes glinted in the afternoon light.

"No" he smiled with a gentle shake of his head. "They're, uh… They're not zombies. Zombies aren't anything like what you see in the movies. The rotting flesh and intense hankering for long pig? That's all a bunch of Hollywood crap"

"So what are they, then?" I asked, not really knowing if I could wrap my head around the fact that these things even existed. "I know you said it's something demonic, but I'm new to all this supernatural stuff and it doesn't make much sense. How can there be things like demons and vampires, and nobody knows about it?"

"You'll find it if you know where to look" he said. "They're out there, trust me, but people don't see them for what they really are. And this? The Croatoan Virus. It's an infection, it strips away a person's humanity and turns them into killers. It's primal, it's savage, and it can't be stopped"

"It spreads through blood" It wasn't a question. I had seen what happened when they infected someone with their blood. I had seen what happened to Millie, how fast it had taken over.

"It's always blood" Dean sighed, switching the TV off and dropping the remote on the sofa. He pushed his fingers through his hair. "There's nothing"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that it's spreading" He looked at me, frustration boiling in his expression. "Fast. I don't know how far it's reached, but judging by the TV, I doesn't look good"

I struggled to understand what that meant.

The infection, the virus, was running rampant across the country, destroying everything and everyone in its path. The World was coming to a brutal end around me, and I didn't know if we would survive.

I was terrified.

But I had Dean, and he was my Hero. My Knight in Shimmering Armour.

He had already saved me once, and I trusted him with my life. If anyone could keep me safe, it was Dean.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a minute, looking at each other, saying words without speaking. The something between us, whatever it was, was undeniable and intense.

It felt as though we were meant to be together. As though we had been made for each other.

Suddenly, I remembered something he had said before, in the diner. Before the shit well and truly hit the fan.

"You said you'd seen it before" I frowned. "Where?"

"Oregon" he answered. "A few years ago I was in a small town called Rivergrove with my brother…"

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. Sam" A sad smile played on his lips, and I knew there was a sad tale of pain and woe behind the name. But I didn't push him. He would tell me when he was ready.

He cleared his throat, and glanced away from me for a moment.

"The town was pretty much deserted, until signs of the virus started showing up. Turns out the demons were running some kind of experiment, testing how the infection worked, and we were stuck in the middle of it"

"But you got away. You must have beaten it" I said, feeling a spark of hope. "So maybe there's a way to beat it now. Maybe we have a chance to…"

"No" he said, letting out a weary breath. "We didn't do anything. It just… It vanished"

"Vanished?"

"There one minute, gone the next" He tapped his fingers against his legs, playing out a tune that only he could hear. "Rivergrove was only a test run. They weren't ready for the grand opening"

"And now it's back?"

"Now it's back" he nodded sadly. "Only this time, it's for real"

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting it all sink in. This was it. The Apocalypse.

The word had been thrown around for centuries by religious zealots and insane cult leaders. But it had only been a word. And now it was real.

Now it was the end.

"Sorry, I know this is a lot to take it" he apologised, reaching out to rest a reassuring hand on my bare leg. "But we're gonna be OK"

"This is the end, right?" I breathed, looking down at his hand. It was warm against me. "This could be our last day on Earth?"

"Not if I have anything to do with it, Princess" he said firmly. "I'm not gonna let anything…"

Before I realised what I was doing, before I could even think twice, I leaned forward and kissed him. Pressing my hands to his face and breathing in the musky scent of him, I kissed him with a desperate determination I never knew I could summon.

"What was that for?" Dean breathed huskily when I pulled away, his eyes dark with desire.

"You saved me" I whispered, brushing my fingers against the rasp of his jaw. "You risked your life for mine, and it tends to make a girl grateful. Besides, there might not be a tomorrow…"

"That's my line" he said with a crooked grin that broke my heart.

Smiling, I kissed him again, and he returned it hungrily, gently easing me back against the sofa until we were lying together, entwined. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my heart racing as he trailed his fingers up the length of my thigh.

The World was ending, and if I was going to die, I wanted to enjoy just one moment of unadulterated divinity before death found me. I wanted to live before I died.

I could feel the bomp-bomp-bomp of his heartbeat, and a part of me knew it was beating to the rhythm of my own.

And then someone screamed.

A sound filled with blood-curdling horror that echoed through the harsh light of day.

_They_ were here.

Dean pulled away and stood over me, his face clouded with unease. I felt empty without him.

"We have to go" he said, helping me to my feet as he reached for the sawn-off shotgun on the table. "Now. We have to go now"

I knew this place wasn't home anymore, and that we couldn't stay, but the thought of leaving hurt like a knife to the gut. I would never be back here. I would never see this place again.

Looking frantically around the trailer, the home I had shared with my sister, I felt like I should take something with me. Like I should take a photo, or a trinket, something of sentimental value as proof that my life had been worthwhile.

But none of the possessions we had amassed over the years meant anything anymore. None of them mattered. And I didn't need a souvenir to remember Millie. She was in my heart and in my soul, a part of me, and I would never, ever forget her.

We had to go.

I had to leave her behind.

I picked up my ratty green Converse sneakers, tucking them under my arm as Dean took me by the hand and pulled me outside.

Three of the Infected had found their way to the tiny hamlet that used to be safe. They surrounded cat lady Doris' hideously pink trailer, tearing at the flyscreen door and beating on the windows. I watched in silent horror as they broke in and dragged her screaming to the ground. Like a pack of wild animals, they ravaged her with their makeshift weapons until her screams went silent.

Dean lifted his gun, and fired. An explosion thundered through the dusky shadows and one of the Infected, a young man wearing a shredded football uniform, fell to the ground.

The others turned, forgetting about the old lady at their feet, and regarded us with hungry, feral eyes.

"Get to the car" Dean said, ejecting the spent cartridge and loading another. "GO!"

I didn't hesitate. I leapt from the weathered patio as he fired into the ragged pack, sprinting across the dead, brown grass to where his beastly black car was parked. Pulling the passenger door open, I dived inside and slammed it closed behind me, quickly engaging the lock.

The two remaining Infected swarmed, ignoring me and racing towards Dean with death and destruction on their inhuman minds. They screamed and snarled, nothing more than sadistic killers.

Dean stood his ground, aiming at each of the Infected in turn and slaying them with an effortless ease, his features set with a grim determination.

With the gun smoking in his hand, he glanced around the pitiful excuse of a trailer park and strode across to the car, sliding in behind the wheel. He ignited the engine, and the car came to life with a defiant roar that vibrated through me.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked, hugging my arms around myself. "Where are we gonna go?"

On the ground, Doris stirred. She had been infected.

Dean shifted the car into drive, and surged forward. With a cloud of dirt billowing behind us, he angled the car towards Doris, and ran her over without hesitation.

"As far away from here as possible" he grimaced, turning the wheel sharply and racing down the rough dirt road. I knew he had no idea where we would go, but I was happy to follow him to the ends of the Earth.

Looking in the rear vision mirror, I watched the trailer get smaller and smaller the further away we got.

"Goodbye" I whispered.

Then it was gone.


	10. Yours

**A/N - Thank you all for reading, and for your kind words of support. I'm glad that at least some of you are enjoying the story. It means a lot to me that you're all following along for the bumpy ride. So, new chapter, sorry it's so short. We're getting into the action so I hope you have your popcorn at the ready! Please enjoy, my darling fans, and I can't wait to hear what you all think!**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

The radio offered nothing but an ominous choir of white noise, the stark sound of the end of the World, as I flicked dejectedly through the stations in search of a sign that we weren't completely alone. With each flick of the dial, with each empty and hollow transmission, I started to think that there was no hope left.

The World was falling, and it was taking us down with it.

Giving up, I sat back against the seat, soft and cool beneath me, and hugged my knees to my chest, looking out the window at the farm houses and endless cornfields dotted along the deserted rural road we were speeding down.

The houses were eerily empty, each an aching void of a society that was losing hold, giving way to the unholy virus.

"It's moving fast" Dean said with a weary sigh. "Who knows how far it's gone"

In the yard of a rundown white house, a tire swing hung from the gnarled branch of a massive oak tree, swaying lazily in the gentle breeze.

I tried not to imagine the horrors that may have befallen the children who used to play on the swing. I tried not to think about how many people would suffer horrible deaths at the hands of the Infected.

"We can't outrun it, can we?" I breathed, closing my eyes. But even though I couldn't see the swing, I knew it was there, and I knew it would haunt my dreams.

"Not a chance in Hell, Princess" he said with a sardonic laugh. "This thing is just gonna keep on going until it's consumed everything. It was made to destroy, and there ain't no way to stop it"

"What about when there's no one left?"

There was a beat of palpable silence.

"Then it doesn't really matter, does it" he said, looking across at me with a dark expression.

When there's no hope left in the World, how do you find the strength to go on?

"You're gonna have to teach me how to use a gun" I said, turning to face him, leaning back against the door. The closest I had come to even holding a gun was down at the local arcade with Millie, but I knew that I'd have to learn fast if I wanted to survive.

And I did.

I really did.

"I don't know if that's the best idea" Dean started, scratching his fingers across his raspy jaw. "You'll be more likely to shoot yourself, and the thought of you getting hurt…"

"Face it, Dean" I said firmly, summoning all the resolve I could muster. "As nice as it is to have you always playing the role of handsome hero…"

"You think I'm handsome?" he teased with a playful smirk.

I cleared my throat, blushing.

"You know you're gorgeous" I said pointedly. "And don't change the subject. I want to know how to protect myself. I want to know how to fight back. You're gonna have to teach me, Cowboy"

For a moment, he said nothing.

"Please"

"You're good at getting your way, ain't you" he grinned.

"I've spent years perfecting my wiles, Mr Winchester" I laughed. "And I know how to use them to my advantage. When I want something, I don't give in until I have it"

"That's my girl" he said casually, and I wasn't sure if he was aware of the implication behind his words. If he knew what they meant to me.

I looked at him, remembering the feel of him pressed against me and the taste of him, the echo of his heartbeat. I had been closer to him, in that one moment of brief passion, than I had been with anyone else. I couldn't deny the feelings swelling inside me. I could only welcome them.

"I am, you know" I whispered.

"Am what?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the road.

I reached over and lifted his hand from the steering wheel, holding it between my own.

"Yours"

He looked at me, his fierce gaze burning into me as he curled his fingers around mine so it was almost impossible to know where he finished and I began.

We were meant to be together. We had been made for each other, and no one else.

"I like the sound of that" he murmured, the corner of his perfect lips curving into a smile that made my heart skip a frantic beat.

It had taken the freaking Apocalypse to find the one person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The other half of my heart and soul.

The irony of it almost broke my heart.

Suddenly, Dean spat a string of curses and wrenched the car sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding the raggedy old woman who had stumbled onto the road. With a squeal of tires and a billowing cloud of smoke streaming behind us, the car spun a full circle, coming to rest on the side of the road as the engine stalled.

Thrown against Dean, I stared out the windscreen at the woman.

Her threadbare dress, hanging from her bony frame by its seams, was drenched in blood, and the dull glint of her eyes spoke of the Infection coursing through her.

She watched us, thin lips pulled back from her yellow teeth.

"One isn't so bad" I breathed.

And then there were more of them.

They came from everywhere and nowhere, appearing like wraiths from the shadows, screaming and snarling and craving destruction as they raced across the rolling hills.

Dean turned the ignition, but nothing happened. He tried again, and the engine sputtered, but didn't catch.

We were stranded, and the Infected were closing in.

We were fucked.

"Son of a goddamned fucking bitch" Dean hissed, hitting the palms of his hands hard against the steering wheel. Staring out the at the approaching horde, he pulled a sleek silver handgun from his belt, and pressed it into my hands.

I looked down at it, startled by its weight. How could something so small be so deadly?

"This is the dangerous end" he said, tapping his finger against the barrel. Reaching behind him, he lifted a battle-scarred, sawn-off shotgun from the back seat, and hefted it in his hands. "Point it and the bad guys, and squeeze the trigger"

"And they'll fall down?" I whispered, my heart thudding painfully in my chest.

"That, Princess…" he grimaced, cocking his gun. "That is the general idea"

He opened the door.


	11. I Squeezed The Trigger

**A/N - Hey, howdy hey, adoring fans! Wonderful to have you here, reading my work, and a massive hug to those of you reviewing! It sure warms the cockles of my heart to see how much y'all are enjoying this story. I'm having fun writing it, I just wish I had more time to do so. Anyways, welcome to the new chapter, hope you like it even though it's only short. And as always, please leave behind a kind (or not so kind, which ever you choose) string of words to let me know how you feel, and you will all get much love from me.**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

Outside, the wind howled like a crazed demon, an angry tempest that raged through the lush countryside and whipped my scarlet curls about my face as I climbed from the car on shaking legs, the gun hanging uselessly at my side.

It felt strange in my hand, the nothing weight of it. It felt abnormal and wrong. It felt useless.

I stood in the middle of the road, staring stupidly at the dormant weapon in my hand while all around me, the Infected drew closer.

They screamed, and snarled, and panted, nothing more than vicious animals thirsting for their prey. And they were coming so fast.

There was maybe a dozen of them. All shapes and sizes, all mad and deranged, coated in blood and gore and other bodily fluids I didn't want to think too much about.

A shot rang out, sharp and explosive like a crack of thunder in the greying light of day, and an old man fell in a tumble of bloodied arms and legs. He cart wheeled gruesomely across the gravel, bones cracking and flesh splitting open.

I looked across at Dean, unwaveringly brave in the face of terror, and wondered how he could do this. How he could be so calm when we were surely about to die.

I was all but pissing myself, and he was so cool, so collected.

He was a Hero.

"You gotta shoot them, Princess" he called over his shoulder, effortlessly taking out another three Infected with a precision that scared the living daylights out of me. "Shoot these assholes before they make minced meat of us"

My heart lurched at the thought of what I had to do. I couldn't fire a gun. I didn't know how.

"I guess it's time I learned" I muttered to myself, lifting the gun despite the awkward feel of it.

I aimed towards a heavyset woman blundering down the road towards me, her dirty blonde hair streaming behind her in a tangled me, and struggled to keep my hand from shaking.

The gun suddenly weighed more than I could have imagined. My heart was thudding in my chest. I was having trouble finding my breath. And there was a weird pulse in my head that made it impossible to concentrate.

But she was getting closer.

They were all getting closer.

I didn't have time to act like the damsel in distress.

I squeezed the trigger.

The gun exploded in my hand, sending a shocking jolt up the length of my arm, vibrating through me until I could feel it in the backs of my teeth. It took all the strength I had to keep from dropping the gun as the muscles in my arms seized.

I would be sore the next day, that was for sure.

The bullet grazed the woman's arm, but she didn't flinch. She barely even noticed.

She was too focused on the pursuit of murder and mayhem to take notice of a pesky little bullet. She ignored the pain, and raced towards me with a vigorous desire to split me open like ripe fruit.

Step by step, she came.

She was getting closer.

"C'mon, Lu" I murmured to myself, taking a deep and shaky breath. I closed my eyes, and squeezed the trigger again. Only this time, I was prepared for the sound of it, for the way it bucked in my hand, and I was able to hold my hand steady.

The bullet hit the woman square in the chest, and a flower of blood unfurled across the gaudy floral shirt she wore. A look of wondrous surprise shadowed her chubby features, and she stopped.

Then, without making a sound, with none of the Hollywood theatrics, she dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap. She was dead.

"I did it" I whispered, feeling proud and nauseated at the same time. She was the third person I had killed. In just a few short hours, I had killed three people. Three lives, three souls, three sets of blood on my hand.

But they weren't really people.

Not anymore.

There was nothing at all human about them. What I had done wasn't a crime.

And I knew that I shouldn't feel guilty, that I shouldn't feel bad for putting this unfamiliar woman out of her misery, but I couldn't help the sudden flood of emotions that welled inside me. The regret, and the remorse, and the mind-numbing sadness burned down in the deepest depths of me. She didn't mean to be Infected. She didn't mean to be a nasty, bloodthirsty animal who only wanted to kill and to infect others, to spread the virus until it had swallowed the World whole.

But she was what she was, and now she was no more.

They had to die.

They _all_ had to die.

Just thinking about the fight that lay ahead of me, the struggle to survive what was coming our way, I couldn't even begin to imagine how I was going do this, how I was going kill, over and over again. The road ahead was paved with death and destruction, and stained with blood.

I would have to kill again. I would have to kill until I could barely recognise myself anymore.

This was the World now.

I heard a wailing screech behind me, the unofficial anthem of this new and frightening World, and spun around to see a naked man, wearing only a pair of tattered runners and a stained sock on his hand, lunging at me. His eyes were wild and his teeth bared. His fingers curled around my shoulders, digging into my flesh as he pulled me into his foul embrace.

I screamed before I could stop myself, and pressed the gun to the fuzzy underside of his chin. Closing my eyes, I pulled the trigger, and his face exploded, spraying a thick fountain of gore across my face and clothes.

I stepped back as he fell to the ground, gagging on the bile that churned deep in my empty belly and wiped chunky gore from my eyes. He was all over me, in my hair, in my bra, smeared across my flesh. I could feel him seeping into me.

Suddenly, I felt Dean's hand slip roughly into my own, and I was pulled towards the car.

"We gotta go, Lu" he growled, climbing into the car and pulling me in behind him as he slid behind the wheel. Reaching across me, he slammed the door closed, muttering a violent string of curses.

There was fear in his words.

If he was scared, then I had good reason to be Goddamn terrified.

Still fighting the urge to vomit, sickened by the feel of sloppy brain matter trailing down my cheeks and the back of my neck, I looked out the window and, for the longest moment, my heart stopped.

There was more of them.

There was so many more of them.

Hundreds of them.

They swarmed like locusts, a swelling mass of death and violence descending from the hills and coming at us with a frightening speed. I didn't know where they were coming from, but they knew we were here, and they wanted us.

They wanted us bad.

And we were trapped inside a car that wouldn't start.

We were so fucked.


	12. The Two Of Us Against The World

**A/N - Thank you for reading and reviewing, gentle viewers, glad to have you at my side. I'm super happy you're enjoying the story, even though the updates have only been short, and can take a while to appear. Anyways, please enjoy this newest one, and if you feel up to it, please leave a review to let me know what you think.**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

My Nanna used to say that right before you die, in that brief instant before you meet your maker, your whole life flashes in front your eyes like an old time flicker show. As the World falls out from beneath you, you catch a distorted glimpse of the life you lived.

You see the good times, and the bad, the people you loved and loathed. You see everything you had taken for granted.

For one startling moment, you see everything that you are going to miss when it's gone.

Only that wasn't true.

Nanna had no idea what she was talking about.

You didn't see your past.

You saw the future. You saw everything you would never have.

Birthdays with family and friends, gatherings and celebrations shared together, full of love and merriment. A family of your own, with a husband and beautiful babies, a house in the suburbs. Endless years of joy, and experiences, a World of hope and wonder.

I saw Dean.

I saw the happiness we could have, if only we were given the chance. I saw a future with this man, a future that I had only ever dreamed about.

But I would never have it.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't at all fucking fair that I had lost so much already, and now it looked like I was going to lose the chance at the one spark of bliss left in my miserable life.

It wasn't fair that it had to end before it could even really begin.

"Come on, baby" Dean pleaded desperately, staring anxiously out the front window at the approaching horde as he flicked the ignition. The car sputtered pathetically, having seemingly given up the will to live in the face of oncoming death. "Please, baby. Please…"

Outside, the Infected closed in, moaning and snarling, beating against the windows and climbing across the hood of the car. They smeared their blood and spit across the gleaming black paint, and Dean actually cringed.

I didn't understand the thrall of a car, no matter how sleek it was, but he seemed pretty attached to this one.

"Start, goddamnit" Dean growled, his angst rising as still more Infected threw themselves wildly at the car.

The windows were holding, but they would eventually break. They would break under the pulsing weight of the Infected. They couldn't keep us safe forever.

We were going to die.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, wondering if was going to hurt to die, if I would feel anything as the life was stolen from me.

A thin spider web of cracks blossomed in the top corner of the windscreen as the Infected pounded against it with their fists, eager to break into the fleshy treats inside. With the tinkling sound of bells, the cracks spread, reaching out like whispery fingers, threatening to give way.

In another instant, they would be in.

And we would be dead.

Then suddenly, blessedly, the car came to life with a deep, savage roar that echoed across the rugged farmland. The power of it, the ferociousness, vibrated through the entire length of the car until I could feel it in the very core of me. A shiver raced up the length of my spine as I breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's my girl" Dean whooped, shifting the car into gear and pressing down heavily on the gas.

For just a moment, the crowd around us put up a surge of resistance, the sheer mass of them fighting against our escape, and then they parted like the Red Sea as we rocketed forward, ruthlessly knocking them down like bowling pins and scattering them across the road.

We ran them down, bouncing them off the bonnet and crushing them beneath the wheels, hightailing it down the road and leaving them in our wake.

And still, despite their injuries, the broken bones and gaping wounds, they tried to crawl after us. They dragged themselves pathetically along the side of the road, driven by their desire to hurt us.

Nothing could stop them.

I turned in my seat to look through the back window, and saw the Infected that were still standing, still somewhat whole, take off after us at a sprint. They pounded across the blacktop, desperate to reach us, no matter the pain. They were unforgiving and unstoppable.

They would last forever.

"They're never gonna stop, are they?" I sighed dejectedly, curling up in the seat and burying my head in my hands. The gory remains of the Infected smeared across me were starting to dry, sticking to me like a second skin. "They're gonna keep coming, and coming, until there's no one left"

The road before us was open, inviting, but it would only lead us to more danger.

"I'm not gonna lie to you" Dean said, glancing in the rear vision mirror. The Infected weren't fast enough to keep up with the car, but they were still there. They would always be there. "This is gonna be bad. It's gonna be hard, and brutal, an a lot of people are gonna die""

"They already have" I whispered, looking across at him. There was a smear of blood across his cheek. I wondered if it was his.

"But I won't let anything happen to you" he said fiercely, his eyes burning into mine. "I promise. As long as you're with me, I will keep you safe"

"I trust you" I smiled, my lips trembling with emotion and fatigue. It had been a long fucking day, and I didn't know if it would ever end.

I slid across the seat and curled myself into the crook below his arm, resting my head against his shoulder and draping his arm around me. I could feel the warmth of him, the steady beat of his heart, and felt more at ease than I thought was possible.

I did trust him. I trusted him more than I had ever trusted anyone before, more than I could ever trust anyone. He had saved me so many times that I'd literally lost count. And I knew that he would do anything for me, anything to keep me safe in this harrowing version of a World, and I was willing to do the same for him. He had risked his life for mine, and I would gladly risk mine for his.

If this Apocalypse had been predestined, and a part of me knew it had been planned since the dawn of time, then so had whatever it was blossoming between us. Dean had come into the diner that day for a reason. We had met just as the World came tumbling down because it had been written.

We were fated to be together.

And if we were going to die, which in all honesty looked more than likely, then I was happy to die at his side.

It was just the two of us now.

The two of us against the World.


	13. Dream On, Cowboy

**A/N - Greetings readers, thanks for reading and reviewing. Love the lot of ya! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and hope that you'll enjoy this one, too. A little quiet for a while now, but there'll be action again, I promise. Anyways, let me know what you think!**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

We were at a crossroads.

With the car idling, purring like a contented kitty, we had stopped in the middle of a deserted cross section of back roads, surrounded by golden fields full of grazing black and white cows oblivious to the battle raging around them. With the sun slowly dipping towards the horizon, setting the sky on fire with violent colours, we were faced with a seemingly simple decision that could ultimately lead us to our death.

We had a choice. We had three. Any one of them could be right. Any one of them could be wrong.

We could go left.

Or right.

Or straight ahead.

We could go anywhere but back the way we came.

We had to go someone.

And if we went the wrong way, if we made just one bad choice, we would be dead.

The World was a battlefield now, and we had to be smart. We had to be careful, and wary, and we had to think things through. Death was lurking around the corner, it would always be there, and we had to do everything we could to avoid letting it get it's hands on us.

We had to survive.

"What's left?" Dean asked, anxiously tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Memphis, I think" I yawned, pushing my fingers through the tangled mess of my hair, wincing at the chunks of person that had dried in my curls. "Maybe Atlanta. I really don't know"

"You OK?" he frowned, looking across at me.

"I'm tired, Dean" I groaned, my stomach giving a sudden rumble. "I'm tired, and I'm hungry, and I stink to the Heavens. We can't run forever. We need to eat, and sleep, and the car is gonna need gas sooner or later"

"I know" he sighed. "I know, it's just… We're safest when we're moving. I hate running from a fight, but right now, it's our best bet. I don't wanna stop until I know what's going on"

"The World is fucked, that's what's going on"

"I know" he said with a soft chuckle.

Leaning back against the seat, my legs crossed beneath me, I stared out the window at the small yellow house sitting in the middle of endless acres of corn. There were no signs of life.

No sign of the Infected.

"That house over there looks quiet" I murmured.

"We are not gonna hole up in a piece of shit house in the middle of nowhere" he scoffed.

"It doesn't have to be that one" I argued. "But maybe we can find one that is safe. Maybe we can stay there, just for the night. Long enough to get cleaned up, rest our eyes and have a bite or two eat. You can't drive forever, Dean, you're not Superman"

"I'm a little bit Superman, he joked, a sweet, crooked grin playing on his lovely lips.

"Maybe a little" I smiled. "But, please, even just for an hour"

He was silent for a moment, looking at each direction in turn with a troubled expression shadowing his handsome features. He was as scared as me, but he was putting on a brave face. He was the Hero, he had to be strong.

I hoped he knew he didn't have to be like that around me.

"OK" He let out a long breath, glancing in the rear vision mirror.

Cresting the horizon, the Infected appeared.

The hadn't given up.

They would never give up.

"Let's see if we can't find Graceland" Dean said with a weary breath.

So we went left.

We had no idea where it would lead, we had no idea if we would be safe or if we were heading to out imminent death, but we went left.

It seemed as good a choice as any.

And we drove.

We drove until the farms gave way to suburbia, until manicured lawns replaced rolling gold fields and the signs of devastation became more apparent.

Cars had been left abandoned in the streets and front doors hung wide open. It was more than apparent that people had left in a hurry. They had fled without their things, running for their lives from the vicious Infected tearing through society.

They had left everything behind in the fight to survive.

The streets were quiet, void of life and the Infected, and for the moment, things looked safe.

Dean stopped in front of a gorgeous, twin storey house, stoic behind a tall and imposing grey stone fence that bordered the small estate. The gate was open.

An invitation.

"I guess this'll do" Dean said, pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine. "I still don't like this"

"We'll be fine" I whispered, wanting to believe the words as I spoke them. "We will"

We climbed out into the chilly air of late afternoon, shooting nervous glances over our shoulders as we moved to the back of the car. Dean popped the trunk and pulled out a worn duffel bag, setting it down at his feet.

Then, he opened a false bottom, revealing a frighteningly extensive array of weapons that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

"We'll stay long enough to get our bearings" he said, handing me a heavy black shotgun. "But then we have to keep moving"

"Where will we go?" I asked.

"Fucked if I know" he said with a lazy smile.

Leaving me by the car, he walked across to the gate and drew it closed, wrapping a slender chain through the handle and securing it with a lock.

I didn't know if it would hold against the Infected, but it might slow them down enough to give us a chance at escape.

"Come on, let's get inside" he said, taking my hand and leading me to the front door.

It was locked.

"We don't have a key" I said dumbly.

"Don't need one" he grinned, slipping a small case from his jacket. Kneeling in front of the door, he fitted two thin rods into the lock, and just like magic, the door opened.

"You pick locks?" I asked incredulously.

"You'd be amazed at what I can do, sweetheart" he smirked, the glint in his eyes sending a fiery flush across my skin.

We stepped inside, and it was dark. Quiet.

Empty.

Dean locked the door behind us, and closed all the curtains at the front of the house. The less attention we drew to ourselves, the better. We moved down the hall to the open and modern kitchen, where glossy appliances glowed in the greying light of the coming dawn. A colourful bowl of untouched fruit sat in the middle of the island counter, and there was a bouquet of bright flowers on the sink.

They looked fresh.

"I should get cleaned up" I said, turning away from the heartbreaking reminder of what the World had lost, and setting the shotgun down beside the fruit. "I have to get out of these clothes before I puke"

"Let's go see if the lady of the house has anything for you to wear"

Hand in hand, we climbed the stairs and found the master bedroom, which was bigger than my entire trailer. There was a massive four-poster bed against the far wall, fitted with crisp lavender bed sheets and a mountain of plush pillows, and soft light streamed in through the full length window.

I opened the doors of the walk-in-robe to reveal clothes packed tight from one end to the other. Evening gowns, summer dresses, Capri pants and peasant tops.

Whoever had lived here, they had enjoyed a comfortable life.

"How about this?" Dean asked, pulling out a see-through black negligee that left nothing to the imagination. He held it up, admiring the explicit cut of the barely-there nightie.

"In your dreams" I yelped, horrified. I wrenched it from his grip and shoved it to the back of the closet.

"If I'm lucky" he grinned, a dreamy look flashing in his eyes as he leaned against the wall.

"You're a pig" I smiled, choosing a pair of grey sweatpants and a yellow polo shirt. I wasn't a fan of skimpy clothes.

Leaving him to look through the couples belongings, I stepped into the ensuite bathroom. Thankfully, the hot water system was still working, and I was able to take a quick shower, scrubbing the blood and brain matter from my hair and body.

Back in the bedroom, Dean was sitting on the bed, looking at a framed wedding photo.

The couple looked happy.

"Feel better?" he asked, setting the photo down.

"Much" I smiled, pulling my hair into a ponytail.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm famished" he said.

"You ate an entire pie only a few hours ago" I laughed, slipping my bare feet into a pair of fuzzy white slippers that felt like I was walking on clouds. "How the Hell are you hungry already?"

"Princess, I'm always hungry"

And then he kissed me.

It was soft, barely a whisper against my lips, but it was enough to leave me light-headed.

Down in the kitchen, I went through the cupboards, trying to find something quick and easy, while Dean checked the rest of the house, making sure it was safe enough for us to stay. I hoped it was. I liked the idea of spending at least one night in luxury.

There was a lot of fancy food that I couldn't pronounce, or imagine eating, but I managed to find a loaf of soft white bread, peanut butter, and a jar of grape jelly.

"I could get used to this, you know" Dean smiled, coming into the kitchen and sitting down at the counter, watching me make several thick PB&J sandwiches.

"Get used to what?" I loaded our meagre dinner onto a plate and set it down in front of him.

"Having a beautiful girl in the kitchen making me dinner" He snagged a sandwich and took a big bite, _mmm_-ing his approval. "Think you could rub my feet next?"

"Dream on, Cowboy" I laughed, opening the fridge and scanning the contents inside.

It was full to the brim with fresh produce, and jars of preserves. If the power stayed on, we could live off the contents for a week.

I lifted two bottles of beer from the door and walked across to the counter, handing one to Dean as I sat down across from him.

"So, can we stay?" I asked, popping the top and taking a long pull. Nothing had ever tasted better than that beer at that moment.

"For tonight, at least" he answered, quickly devouring his sandwich and taking another. The boy could eat.

We ate in silence, sipping our beer and enjoying the brief reprieve I knew wouldn't last long enough. But I was more than happy to take advantage of it while I could. I was planning to put the four-poster bed upstairs to good use while I was here.

"I knew it" Dean said suddenly, looking at me with a knowing smirk.

"Knew what?" I frowned, setting my sandwich down and brushing crumbs from my lips.

"I knew I'd be having a drink with you before the day was over" he grinned. "I didn't think it'd be during the Apocalypse, but I knew I'd wear you down eventually"

"Oh, Cowboy" I sighed melodramatically, slipping my fingers into his. "You had me at Princess"


	14. He Tasted Like Scotch

**A/N - Many apologies, ever gracious readers, I didn't mean to take so long to update. Life has gotten away from me again, and I've been having trouble keeping up with it! Thank you for the reviews, it's a pleasant surprise to know that someone somewhere out there in the wild blue yonder is enjoying my work. I know it's been quiet of late, and it will be for a few more chapters, but the action will start up again soon. And they will run into some allies shortly as well, but for now, they're gonna have some fun on their own. Please enjoy this latest instalment, beware of slightly adult content, sorry that it's only short but I'm low on time! I would greatly appreciate some feedback from my lovely fans!**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

Golden flames flickered gently in the dark of night, casting sombre shadows across the dusky purple walls of the lounge room, and turning the black and white photos lined along the shelves sinister as the darkness closed in.

Dean and I sat together on the deliciously plush white sofa, deftly working our way through a bottle of expensive Scotch and speaking of things that made our hearts ache. We had been here for only a few hours, but already I knew him more than I had ever known anyone. And I had shared with him things I had never told anyone, not even Millie.

"I haven't seen Sammy in months" Dean said softly, tipping more of the sweet smelling amber liquid into my crystal tumbler. He handled the bottle with a familiarity that suggested he had spent many nights curled into the comfort that only blissful drunkenness could bring.

He had been telling me frighteningly wondrous stories that I struggled to comprehend. He had faced vicious beasts, and vengeful spirits, and deranged psycho killers, hunting things from the darkest of nightmares and he was still standing. I couldn't blame him for using alcohol as a release.

"What happened?" I asked, bringing the glass to my lips and downing it in a single swallow. It burned horribly on the way down, but it dulled the sharp edges of grief that weighed down heavily on me. After everything I had been through, all that I had lost and seen, I needed the feeling of nothingness. I needed the brief escape.

"We got into a fight about…" He cleared his throat, staring down at his drink with a look of sorrow darkening his painfully handsome features. I wanted to take him into my arms and hold him tightly, letting him know that everything would be all right. "He had an addiction, and I tried to help him. But he didn't want help. He was in too deep and there wasn't anything I could do. I've killed for that kid, I went to Hell for him, but I couldn't save him from this…" He stopped for a moment, and I reached over to slip my hand into his. When he looked up at me, there was such a sadness in his eyes that I could feel my heart breaking for him. "So we got into a fight, and I told him that if he walked out the door, he shouldn't ever come back"

"And he walked out" I said, setting my glass down. I'd lost count of how many drinks we'd had, but I was feeling warm, and light-headed, and like maybe everything would be all right in the end. It was a nice feeling.

"He walked out and he didn't look back" Dean sighed sadly. "My own brother, and he just… He left. I wanted to go after him. I wanted to beat the goddamn living shit out of him, but he made his choice. So we went our separate ways, and I've been hunting on my own ever since"

A sudden gust of wind howled outside, sending a shiver up the length of my spine.

"You're not alone anymore" I said with a soft smile, holding his hand in mine. "As fucked up as this day has been, you've got me, Cowboy. And I'm not going anywhere. Ever"

He put his glass down on the antique coffee table, and leaned in to press his lips gently against mine.

He tasted like Scotch.

"There isn't anyone in all the World I'd rather have with me than you, Princess" he murmured, kissing me again. His arm slipped around my waist, his fingers brushing teasingly against the warm flesh of my back.

As the kiss deepened, and Dean pulled me hard against him, I could feel something burning deep inside me. A fiery desire I had never felt before, a furious lust that pulsed through me, and there was only one thing I wanted. Only one thing I needed.

But beneath it all was a self-conscious fear I could not ignore.

"I'm sorry" I sighed, pulling away. I hated the hollow feeling that consumed me when I wasn't in his arms. "I'm not… I can't…" I couldn't find my words. I didn't know how to tell him this would be my first time, that I might not be what he was expecting me to be.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I haven't…" I stammered, feeling a flush spread across my cheeks. I couldn't look at him. "I haven't done this before. I mean, ever. And I'm worried I won't be… That I'm not gonna be any good"

"You're still a…" There was a playful glint in his eyes, and his lips were straining not to smile.

"I've been raising my sister, I haven't had a lot of time for dating" I explained, wincing at the sharp pang of loss that was still tender despite the amount of alcohol I had consumed. "When you're busy trying to keep a teenage girl under control, losing your virginity isn't really high on the list of priorities. And I just… I never found the right guy. And I wanted it to mean something"

He smiled, gently running his fingers through my curls.

I looked at him, and knew I had found the one I was meant to be with.

"I like knowing that I'll be your first" he said softly, carefully easing me onto his lap. He kissed me, slowly and tenderly, making me quiver with excitement, brushing his lips against the soft skin of my neck.

"You'll go slow?" I breathed, resting my forehead against his. I was scared, but I knew I'd be safe in his hands.

"We've got all the time in the World, sweetheart" he grinned, and as he kissed me again, I was at his mercy.


	15. They Were Everywhere

**A/N - Woo-hoo, I'm on a roll! This always happens. I write one chapter, then get so caught up in the World of Dean and Lulu that I just have to keep writing. Here's hoping that my hectic life lets me get in a few more chapters before it gets in the away, as usual! So, anyways, thank you, precious people, for my reviews. I love hearing from you all! Please enjoy this one, getting closer to some rip-roaring action! But, for now, I'm happy to let them have some quiet, smooshy love time. Don't forget to wipe your feet, and leave a review on your way out!**

**Blessed Be XOXOXOXOX**

I woke the following morning, blinking in the harsh light of day playing through the lace curtains, and for a single blessed moment I believed that the horrible events of the previous day were nothing but a nightmare. The Infection hadn't decimated the human race. People hadn't turned bat-shit crazy and started attacking helpless bystanders.

My sister wasn't dead.

But the moment only lasted for a single heartbeat, and then I remembered it all.

The screams that tore through the shadows.

The blood running down the streets, staining my hands.

The look of pained bewilderment in my sisters eyes as I stole the life from her.

It hadn't been a nightmare. Life was the nightmare, and there would be no waking up from it.

This was the way the World ended, and now we had to survive it.

Brushing hair from my bleary eyes, I was suddenly aware of an unfamiliar weight draped around me, and the warmth of bare flesh pressed against my own. Feeling a flush burn across my every inch, I looked across at Dean, sleeping peacefully with his body entwined with mine in the impossible confines of the cloud-soft sofa. His face was buried in a floral pillow, and he was snoring softly.

"Oh" I breathed, remembering everything else that had happened last night, long after the screams died out. The endless glasses of Scotch that settled heavily in my belly, the stories Dean told me that had scared the living daylights out of me, and the eternal hours of unadulterated bliss that left me aching in a nice way. He had loved me in a way no other ever had.

He was my first.

My only…

My always.

Smiling to myself, I gently traced my fingers across the tanned planes of his shoulder, amazed again that we had found each other while Hell raged around us. It was like something from a twisted fairytale.

I was the damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shimmering armour.

Only we might never get a chance to have our happily ever after.

Wincing at the sour taste of Scotch still in my mouth, I eased myself from Dean's arms, being careful not to wake him. I reached for his shirt, draped across the coffee table where it had been tossed in the heat of the moment, and wrapped it around my naked body. It smelled like him, a rich scent that felt like coming home after a long journey.

Smiling to myself, I walked into the kitchen, again catching sight of the gaudy bouquet, and pulled a jug of water from the fridge. I poured a tall glass, and drank it greedily, savouring the icy chill of it.

Setting the glass in the sink, I lifted the flowers from the bench. The colourful petals had begun to droop, dying along with the rest of the World.

There was a small, white card attached with a bright red ribbon. Written in swirling letters were the words 'I Love You'. Nothing else, just that simple declaration.

Sighing, I dropped them in the trash can.

They didn't mean anything now.

Feeling restless, I wandered down the cavernous hallway, looking at the elegant photos that lined the walls like a road map of happiness. There were wedding photos, and holiday snapshots, random pictures of beach picnics and formal gatherings. Blissful moments in a life I could only ever have dreamed of. These people were sickeningly rich, with an extravagant house straight from the pages of a glossy magazine, filled with designer clothes and meaningless trinkets that would have cost more than I made in a year waitressing at the Pie Hole.

But these people were probably dead now. Or Infected. Long gone from their luxurious life.

"What good is your money now?" I murmured, staring at the faces of a classically handsome man and an elfish blonde woman, both happy and smiling and oblivious to the bleak future that awaited them.

I turned away from them and made my way upstairs to the master bedroom.

Stepping into the walk-in-closet, I ran my fingers over silky dresses and starched suits, unable to even comprehend how much they would have cost. I'd had to save for weeks just to afford a new dress for Millie, or a nice pair of shoes for myself.

I wondered what it would have been like to not have to worry about money. To cruise through life not having to stress about paying the gas bill and putting food on the table and buying school books all on one measly pay check.

But I knew I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

And right now, after everything, I would have given anything to have it all back.

Lifting a pair of designer cut-off shorts from a shelf, I slipped them on and took a moment to admire the way they hugged my curvy hips in the full length mirror. I noticed the dark purple hue of bruises and welts dotted down the length of my thigh, and sighed.

Battle scars.

The first of many.

Leaving the closet, pushing my fingers through the tangle of my hair, I walked over to the massive windows that dominated the far wall, and gently pushed the silk curtains aside to peer outside.

What I saw chilled me to the bone, and it was only instinct that kept me from screaming.

Hundreds of Infected, maybe even thousands, filled the street below. Like a migrating flock of birds, they moved as one, an endless procession of bloodied and battered monsters.

"Oh God" I gasped, struggling to breath as my heart thudded furiously in my chest.

There were so many.

They were everywhere.

"Oh God" I let the curtain drop as I stumbled back, suddenly light-headed and nauseas.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around me, and a hand was pressed over my mouth before I could scream. I started to fight against the arms restraining me.

"It's me" Dean whispered in my ear. "Lu, it's me"

I felt myself calm down instantly, soothed by husky sound of his voice and the feel of him pressed against me.

He turned me around so that I was facing him, his hands pressed to the sides of my face. Even first thing in the morning, with his hair ruffled and the shadow of a beard along his chiselled jaw, he was insanely gorgeous.

"Did you see them?" I asked, my voice wavering slightly.

"Yeah, I saw them" he sighed. "Like something out of a freaking Romero movie"

"Are we safe? Should we run?"

"No" he said, shaking his head. "They don't know we're here. As long as we keep quiet, we'll be OK"

Together, hands clasped tightly, we walked up to the window and looked outside.

They were still there, flocking down the street with stiff, jerking movements. Men and women, even children. Some of them were horribly disfigured, burned and bleeding, missing limbs and clothing.

"Where did they all come from?" I asked softly, shivering despite the warmth of the shirt I wore. What I had seen yesterday was bad, but this was truly horrifying.

"I think the question is…" Dean started grimly. "Is where the Hell are they all going?"

We watched them for almost ten minutes, and still they kept coming.

"I can't watch this" I muttered bitterly, turning away and crossing my arms across my chest. "It'll drive me insane"

"Maybe we should keep track of it, though" Dean mused. "Maybe there's a pattern we're not seeing. If we can figure out what they're doing, we can plan what to do next"

It was smart thinking, but I couldn't stomach another moment of the Infected milling in the street below. Not when there was something I'd rather be doing with this perfect man.

"I know what we're gonna do next, Cowboy" I breathed seductively, pressing my hands to the warmth of his bare stomach, leaning in so that our lips were almost touching.

"What did you, uh…" He cleared his throat, looking down at me with darkened eyes. I could almost smell his desire. "What did you have in mind?"

Grinning, I pulled away.

"We're gonna have some breakfast, because I am _starved_" I said with a dramatic groan, clutching my belly.

A look of disappointment flashed across his rugged features, but it quickly faded into a Hollywood smile. To someone with an insatiable appetite, the promise of food was just as good as sex.

"Breakfast sounds good"


End file.
